


Karaoke Kings

by sleepyscoops



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, Gyms, HOSHI HAREM!, Implied Sexual Content, Karaoke, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi is Whipped, M/M, MAYBE IDK HAHA, Masturbation, Sexual Tension, Singing, as always junhui is a king, baekren bc... i can LMAO, bc he falls in luv w everyone kinda, hmmmm, how do i tag without spoilers, seoksoon talk, smh, winkwonk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:27:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25307470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyscoops/pseuds/sleepyscoops
Summary: Sixteen-time local karaoke champion Jihoon gets his winning streak broken by an incredibly handsome stranger called Seungcheol. Out for revenge, he's going to prove that he's the best between both of them - if only he could put hisFeelingsfor Seungcheol aside.Meanwhile, Soonyoung can't help but fall in love with everyone he meets. That, and Everyone Loves Soonyoung, too - because how can you not?
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Jeon Wonwoo & Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Kim Mingyu & Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi & Lee Seokmin | DK
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	Karaoke Kings

**Author's Note:**

> original thoughts while writing: a study on Feelings, of which i know nothing about; spot the (subtle) wz marshal agenda, this is possibly a huge mess bc my thoughts are a mess anyway, rip; soonyoung harem bc i can; written in isolation pls talk me i lonly, pls support and send luv thank u; enemies to lovers?? YOU tell me.

“OH, I’M CURIOUS, YEAH.”

Jihoon’s at the local karaoke bar with his so-called best friend, Soonyoung. The dinky room that reeks vaguely of body odour with a tinge of alcohol suffocates him. But he’d do anything to escape his messy study desk and breaking his brain over complicated calculations that make up the brunt of his engineering course. After all, all work and no play makes Jihoon a dull boy, but how the hell did he end up in a karaoke room with Soonyoung, who’s crooning his heart out like he’s an honorary member of SHINee, just because some rando on the street says that he’s got ‘a unique vocal colour’?

Jihoon leans back in his seat, watching Soonyoung bob in time with the lyrics that pop onto the screen. He’d agreed to have dinner with Soonyoung earlier, no problem - though that one meal had burned a hole in his wallet, making him officially broke and broken. But stopping by the karaoke bar had been the worst idea, because he’s itching to get back to his incomplete class notes. He’s got a class test tomorrow, and of course he needs to do well to maintain his CGPA and his scholarship, and spending two hours with Soonyoung is already two hours too much.

Taking in the familiar scene laid out before him - the blinding brightness of the LCD screen illuminating the darkened room, the holes patched up with duct tape on the faux leather seats, and the automated disco lighting spraying colourful spots all over the room - he realises how much he misses this place, since he hasn’t been here since last month, thanks to his hectic class schedule. Jihoon and Soonyoung used to frequent the karaoke bar on Friday nights celebrating the start of their weekends, howling like wolves until midnight; until university took over their life completely.

He misses singing his heart out to whatever song Soonyoung randomly selects for him using the high-tech remote. He misses chugging down glasses of ice-cold cola to quench his parched throat when he finishes singing to a string of songs. He misses the party atmosphere - admittedly, karaoke would be much more fun if their mutual friend Seokmin tags along (that boy has a phenomenal pair of lungs, perfect for marathon karaoke sessions) but being here, away from his hectic life as a student makes him feel happy. 

Maybe following Soonyoung to karaoke wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

Jihoon reaches out to gulp down some cola, watching Soonyoung's amusing antics, when a movement behind the frosted glass of the door catches his eye. 

He almost spits his drink out in shock, but thankfully he doesn't, quickly swallowing the chilled cola down his throat. 

He quickly checks his watch. Surely their two-hour session wouldn't be up just yet? But you know, time flies when you're having fun, even though Jihoon would never openly admit that spending time with Soonyoung is fun, because it's rather draining at times.

Jihoon braces for the perky, overenthusiastic voice of the staff of the karaoke bar, Junhui, who would kick them out with his cheeky grin and teasing winks directed mainly towards him. That would elicit even more teasing from Soonyoung, who'd announce to the world that Junhui has a crush on Jihoon (and he's not wrong!) and Jihoon loathes that kind of attention. He can’t afford to pay for another two more hours so he can abuse his larynx, singing love songs even though he’s not in love; so he’s ready to vacate the room. 

“Sounds like a party in here.”

The rich, friendly tone of a stranger floats throughout the room, right as Soonyoung begins a dance break in the middle of the song. Magnetised by the unfamiliar voice, Jihoon looks up to meet a stranger's dark chocolate eyes, sparkling with constellations even in the relative darkness of the karaoke room. Jihoon could barely make out the chiselled features of their uninvited guest - from his cute nose to his lush lips, which curve up into a gorgeous smile. 

Jihoon’s heart drops to the floor - at least he imagines it that way - in shock, because he doesn’t expect anyone to pop their head into their private karaoke room in the midst of Soonyoung’s solo 'concert'.

And it’s not just anyone, but the most handsome man he'd ever laid his eyes upon, possibly hand-crafted by the gods in heaven; awakening Jihoon's inner gayness. 

The stranger's smile widens when Soonyoung belts off an unnecessary high note, revealing a row of pinky gums that makes his smile even more boyish, which, in turn, makes Jihoon's heart beat irrationally faster; his hand already busy at work fondling the microphone he's holding. Then the stranger's eyes sweep over to Jihoon; his intense gaze raking slowly over Jihoon’s body like a spotlight, in such a sensual manner that Jihoon thinks that the stranger might be checking him out… 

He’s just glad that the lowlight of the karaoke room is masking the tomato red blush that has crept all over his face.

Stranger danger? More like hottie alert. Jihoon’s dick is twitching, ready to Hulk out of his pants, and his body feels warm all over - maybe he could go for a swim in the stranger’s dimples to cool off, and possibly stay there all day. 

Soonyoung, realising that there's an audience apart from Jihoon, energetically launches into the final chorus of the song - making Jihoon more annoyed than ever, because he's practically falling in lust with a complete stranger, whose sole existence is turning him on so badly that it's starting to hurt. Jihoon wants Soonyoung to shut up, or at least begin singing the most romantic Love Song Ever, because he's having a Moment with the curious stranger.

But the stranger disappears as quickly as he had appeared, much to Jihoon's dismay, leaving right before Soonyoung screams one final note into the microphone on the very last beat of the song. 

"I knew my dazzling performance would attract new fans!" Sweaty Soonyoung pronounces, as he flops onto the couch, which lets out a creaky sound. "It's your turn, Hoonie. Let me pick a song." He doesn't seem phased by the stranger's disappearance; while Jihoon feels like he's lost half of his heart to the drop-dead gorgeous stranger he'd seen for five whole seconds.

Soonyoung thrusts a microphone towards Jihoon, which he refuses. He already has one; the victim of lust-induced self-gratification just moments ago when he'd laid eyes on That Handsome Stranger. 

He can't focus for the next hour, secretly hoping for the handsome stranger to pop around again, even though it's highly unlikely - 

Jihoon purposely selects songs with the most lovesick lyrics that make him cringe, just because he feels like it reflects his current emotions, thanks to That Handsome Stranger. His life will never be the same again. He'd never really been one to fall in love so quickly - that's more of Soonyoung's domain - and he already knows that he's in deep shit knowing that he can't get the Handsome Stranger out of his mind. 

Their two-hour session finally ends, just as Soonyoung wraps up a heart-wrenching ballad with an achingly sustained note. The screen starts playing a cheesy video that tells them that their session is over, so they cast their microphones aside and file out of the room. 

Jihoon feels so tired, that he decides to scrap his idea of burning the midnight oil sitting at his study desk, pretending to read his notes. Next to him, Soonyoung's still quite energetic; jabbering on about something petty, but Jihoon doesn't pay attention, glancing around just in case the Handsome Stranger pops out of nowhere. 

As they head towards the exit, they wave at the guy manning the front desk, Junhui.

"Monthly karaoke competition next week, guys. You coming to defend your title, Jihoon?" Junhui calls out with a smirk that he alone deems sexy.

Jihoon stares at the wall behind Junhui, avoiding eye contact. He's the undisputed karaoke king of 247 Karaoke Bar, his name scrawled with permanent marker on the Wall of Fame so many times that the management should just dedicate it to him. He would've liked to cement his status as the reigning karaoke king for the sixteenth time in a row, but midterms are around the corner and he's got six weeks worth of lectures to catch up on… 

“Maybe not.” Jihoon mutters, never meeting Junhui's eyes. He wonders if someone else might take over his throne if he misses the monthly karaoke competition… that would be an eyesore on the wall, breaking the streak of Lee Jihoons written on the cracked plaster. 

“Aw. I’ll miss your cute little face, then.” Junhui drawls, giving Jihoon an annoyingly perfect smile. 

Jihoon scowls in response as Soonyoung lets out a hearty laugh. 

“Don’t be a stranger. Come back soon!” Junhui winks one last time at Jihoon, before he resumes his work of playing mobile games behind the counter.

Jihoon swiftly exits the karaoke joint, shoving his hands into his pockets as he descends the staircase to get to the ground level. “I swear, one day I’ll sue that guy for harassment.” 

“But he’s our friend!” Soonyoung exclaims, his voice echoing in the stairwell. 

“Whatever. What’s his favourite colour?” Jihoon stops so abruptly that Soonyoung almost crashes into him.

Soonyoung looks blank for a while, racking his brain for that trivial piece of information that will prove his friendship with Junhui. 

“See? You don’t even know.” Jihoon huffs, walking down the street. 

“I’m sure he likes green.” Soonyoung interjects, tailing Jihoon. "Are you sure you don't wanna come next week and defend your karaoke title?" 

“I don’t really care. I’m gonna go study.” Jihoon said sourly. 

"Party pooper."

Jihoon rolls his eyes. But no matter what poop-related nickname Soonyoung calls him, he's going to bunk down and focus on his studies. He's going to ace all of his classes, and show the world (or at least, Soonyoung) that he's got grit and dedication. 

After all, his grades are far more important than some karaoke competition. One would get him a job and help him become financially stable; while the other is worth nothing but temporary bragging rights. Which one would future Jihoon prefer more? Current Jihoon knows the answer, and it has nothing to do with karaoke. 

He'd had enough fun, so he's going to study…. starting tomorrow. Right now, he decides that he'll jump straight into bed once he gets home, and hope to dream of that Handsome Stranger. 

* * *

Midterms are over, temporarily liberating Jihoon from the suffocating cage of institutionalised education. He's so drained, facing his books and notes and laptop for the past fortnight to cram six weeks worth of classes, and he's glad that it's all over, at least for now. He needs a break, and surviving midterms calls for a celebration! 

He'll let Soonyoung do all the planning, because he can't be bothered with the logistics. All he knows is that he needs to get out of his dinky dorm room and have loads of fun. 

"Karaoke night, Hoonie! Seokmin is coming!" Soonyoung bounces with excitement, bursting into Jihoon's shoebox of a room, knocking over a stack of papers behind the door. 

Jihoon cracks a grin when he hears the news. Karaoke will be doubly fun with Seokmin, who sings like a professional, with his incredible vocal range and impressive lung capacity - that boy's falsettos can rival Mariah Carey; and he can rap, too, spitting syllables as swift as a bullet train at maximum speed.

A half hour later, Jihoon's all dressed up, ready for a night out. Next to Soonyoung, who's sporting a tiger print shirt underneath a fancy black jacket, he seems terribly underdressed in worn jeans and knockoff furry slippers. 

247 Karaoke is tucked away among the tteokbokki restaurants and arcades that line the street just a couple of blocks away from Jihoon's apartment. Unlike its name, it only operates in the evening, when college kids wanting to scream their heart out in song fill in the limited number of karaoke booths. The neon lights of the karaoke joint baths the narrow street with an eclectic mix of colours, giving off a façade as a nightclub. More often than not, tired office workers looking for a place to unwind and have fun have mistaken the karaoke bar for a raunchy club, only to be disappointed, seeing students howling like wolves to pop songs. And tonight, there's a continuous supply of university students like Jihoon celebrating the end of midterms; even Junhui can't keep up as he mans the front desk at the karaoke bar.

"Hey cutie." Junhui lights up when he sees the trio approach, his gaze zoning straight onto Jihoon. "You're back."

"One room, two hours, please!" Soonyoung grins. Junhui's gaze lingers onto Jihoon for a second before he gets to work, tapping around on his computer behind the counter. 

Seokmin's looking at the Hall of Fame, where Jihoon's name practically fill up the whole wall, except for the latest addition, which doesn't match the three syllables of his name.

"Ooh, you've been dethroned, Jihoon." Seokmin says, pointing to the wall. The lights in the room are a bit too dim that no one can make out what's written on the wall, but it's certainly not Jihoon's name, which slightly irritates him. 

Jihoon narrows his eyes, reading the name scrawled in black Sharpie on the wall, just beneath his own name. "Who the hell is Choi Seungcheol?" 

He's ready to fight whoever that is. 

"Did someone say my name?" A familiar deep tone calls out from behind them. The voice has a tinge of warmth and playfulness, and Jihoon can recognise it in an instant. 

He sees That Handsome Stranger smiling at him, and a squirt of adrenaline in his veins makes his heart zoom. Time slows down, and everything around them fade into a blur as Jihoon transcends into a different dimension where nothing exists, except for Love, that Handsome Stranger, and himself. He can feel his face burning up with a blush redder than the reddest shade of red possible; blood rushing down to all extremities of his body, especially down under - the mere presence of That Handsome Stranger is oddly turning him on. 

That Handsome Stranger has a name, and it is Choi Seungcheol. 

Even his name suits him so well. He looks like a winner; and the prize is Jihoon's heart and affection! 

"Oh, Jihoon seems angry." Soonyoung's saying, looking slightly worried.

Angry…? 

Fuck Soonyoung, he doesn't know anything. 

And it's better if Soonyoung doesn't know what Jihoon feels towards Choi Seungcheol. 

Choi Seungcheol is also all dressed up for a night out, looking like he'd just stepped off a fashion runway. His thick hair is all stylishly mussed up, and his oversized jacket would probably swallow Jihoon whole. He looks intimidating, but Jihoon knows that once he smiles he’ll be a little baby angel who needs to be protected and read to sleep, tucked in with a goodnight kiss. 

He's not alone, but the people with him are just like blobs to Jihoon, his tunnel vision focusing onto no one else but Choi Seungcheol.

"Hey, man." Junhui reaches out to Seungcheol, for a bro handshake. "Welcome back, karaoke king."

Seungcheol smiles, waving it off with a laugh. "Dude, I'm just here to have fun. The usual."

"Right." Junhui taps around on his computer, assigning a room and slot for Seungcheol and his entourage. Both of them are tall guys - one wearing a fashionable designer coat, with perfectly sun-kissed skin easily discerned even under the neon lighting. The other man is just as tall, and he wears round glasses that make him look intelligent, with a casual sweater and jeans that doesn't make him stand out like the other two. Glasses Man catches Soonyoung's eye, probably because of his tiger print top, and Soonyoung begins squirming when he makes a split second eye contact with the man, rushing to hide behind a clueless Seokmin. 

"It's on the house." Junhui's saying. "Room 8." 

"Thanks, buddy." 

Seungcheol begins striding towards Jihoon, and his heart starts racing. What if he remembered Jihoon from the other night, even though that had been two weeks ago? He holds his breath without even realising it, wondering what Choi Seungcheol has to say to him - 

But Seungcheol simply breezes past Jihoon without a second glance, heading towards where the karaoke rooms are located. His friends trail after him like a couple of freakishly tall bodyguards, absorbed into their own little conversation. Soonyoung waves goodbye after them, even though they don't notice, except for Seokmin, who's visibly confused at the random gesture. 

Jihoon's hopes of being noticed by his five-second crush from two weeks ago crumble like a building with weak concrete and unstable foundation. He feels hot all over - his embarrassment, his agitation and the stuffy atmosphere has an additive effect, which isn't good for him at all. This evening hasn't started off too well, which means that they need to get to a karaoke room to scream their lungs out to their favourite songs, as soon as possible. Jihoon already has some tunes in mind: heartbreak alt-rock would be perfect to ease his frustrations. And maybe, just maybe Choi Seungcheol would peep into their room when Jihoon’s performing like a superstar, and maybe remember him from two weeks ago. 

"Hey. So which room are we in?" Jihoon hurries over to the counter to ask Junhui. 

But the karaoke bar assistant gives him a regretful smile. "Sorry, cutie. We're full tonight." He places a hastily written notice on the counter:  **_FULL HOUSE, SORRY! :(_ **

"What?" Jihoon exclaims. 

"I let those guys take the last room. Karaoke king privileges." Junhui shrugs. 

"I've been karaoke king at this bloody place for sixteen months in a row! You’ve never mentioned anything about that!" Jihoon points an angry finger at Junhui. That bullshit’s unheard of - Jihoon’s been paying full price for all the times he’s been coming here; while Choi Seungcheol waltzes in from nowhere and wins a karaoke contest, and he gets a free pass? Talk about unfair! 

Worried that Jihoon might jump over the counter and rip Junhui's face off in a fit of rage, Seokmin quickly restrains him. 

"Well. Uh. The owner just kind of established that. Because. Uh. New king. And whatnot." Junhui stammers, backing up against the wall, fearing for his life. Jihoon’s quite scary when he’s mad, and he doesn’t know how to placate him. 

"Scammer!" Jihoon shakes an angry fist at Junhui, held tightly by both Seokmin and Soonyoung. Lucky for Junhui - Jihoon would’ve scratched his eyeballs out if they’re not holding him back. “Give us our room!” 

"You guys technically haven't paid yet." Junhui rebuts, his voice shaking; trying his best to look calm. “Sorry.”

"Jihoon, let's just leave. We can do something else." Seokmin says in his soothing voice, pulling Jihoon over to the exit. 

"I'm never coming back here!" Jihoon manages to scramble out of Seokmin and Soonyoung's tight hold. He stomps out the door and down the stairwell, the sound of his angry footsteps bouncing against the concrete walls.

The cool spring breeze hits his face at street level, but it doesn't have an effect on him, because he’s fuming. If this is a comic, he would have steam coming out of his ears.

Choi freaking Seungcheol. Stupid, handsome prick. This is all because of him, and no one else. 

Remember when Jihoon said that he was going to fight Choi Seungcheol? He's going to keep to his word, good-looking or not - he's an asshole who ruined Jihoon's end of midterms celebratory karaoke night. And he'd taken away Jihoon's crown as reigning karaoke king at 247 Karaoke. 

Ugh. 

He would've stamped his foot in frustration, but he's standing in the middle of the street. Around him, the dinner crowd is out and about, prowling the streets for food - couples clinging to each other, or loud groups of college-aged kids celebrating the end of exams. 

Jihoon could've been one of the revellers, having the time of his life, if Choi Seungcheol didn't ruin everything. 

Soonyoung and Seokmin tumble out of the stairwell entrance that leads to the karaoke bar, both telling Jihoon the same thing: they'd apologised to Junhui, and that they could blow off their karaoke money on some delicious barbecue instead. 

But their words fall onto Jihoon's deaf ears - he's got other things on his mind: sweet, sweet vengeance. He strengthens his resolve to get his revenge at Choi Seungcheol. No matter how, no matter what. 

Choi Seungcheol better take care of his fine ass, because Jihoon is going to tear him to the ground. 

* * *

Soonyoung's phone vibrates on his desk. There's an incoming phone call, but he's still in bed lazing around, unbothered to pick it up. His mind is full of nothing but the tall, bespectacled guy at the karaoke who'd been with Choi Seungcheol. Glasses Guy had smirked at him - sexily, if Soonyoung remembers correctly - which had sent him hiding behind Seokmin. There had been an unmistakable spark, like the ones highly romanticised in TV and film, but Soonyoung can attest that the Spark isn't at all fictional, because he felt it with Glasses Guy. Soonyoung knows that he falls in love too quickly for his own good, but oh, he  _ knows  _ that Glasses Guy would treat him so well, which he'll reciprocate. 

He's so wrapped up in his thoughts that he ignores his phone, which has been ringing for quite a while now. The vibrations somehow moves his phone to the edge of the desk, precariously about to fall - 

Soonyoung immediately grabs it before it falls, because he can't afford another phone. He'd accidentally murdered his old phone, taking it swimming without realising that it wasn't waterproof. 

"Soonie. Gym. Now." Jihoon says curtly over the line, once Soonyoung answers the call. 

"Nooooooooooo." Soonyoung moans. They'd been to the gym yesterday, and the day before that, too. Soonyoung desperately needs to rest his aching muscles, counting the days since Jihoon had coerced him to join a gym, which had been the night they were supposed to have a fun karaoke session.

Rather than a nice dinner, Jihoon had pulled Soonyoung to a nearby gym. It smelled like sweat masked by some generic air freshener, which made for an indescribable combo. Soonyoung had been distracted by some muscly guy doing pull-ups at a bar inside the workout area, which was filled with so many confusing contraptions. The next thing Soonyoung knew, he was signing up for a three-month membership at the Back It Up Gym with Jihoon. 

Meanwhile, Seokmin had been lucky, because apparently his uncle's dog was at the vet, so he managed to leave before he could sign his life away to bench presses and endless treadmill runs. 

"Are you up?" Jihoon's using his no-nonsense voice, which scares Soonyoung a little. 

"Noooooooo." Soonyoung whines. And right at that moment, the door swings open, revealing a pumped-up Jihoon decked in active gear. 

"Get up, Kwon. We're doing weights today. I need a spotter." Jihoon tugs at Soonyoung's duvet, but he clings onto it in panic.

"I'm not wearing pants!" Soonyoung shouts for the whole dorm to hear through the open door. It's not quite a lie, because he's got his boxers on; but he still has some dignity!

"Fine. Get dressed. I'll wait outside." Jihoon leaves the room with an almighty slam of the door, making the thin walls rattle. 

Soonyoung rolls out of bed, picking out the limited clothes he has. His laundry is piling up, because he either spends his time in class or at the gym with Jihoon. It's been a week since their first session, and the only change he observes is how increasingly fatigued he gets every time he comes back from the gym.

He doesn't quite understand why Jihoon suddenly got into this gym phase. But he's got to support his best friend, and maybe he'll get a super toned body in the long run. Otherwise, it's just hell for him, his poor muscles burning up with lactate, yelling at him to stop after twenty minutes on the treadmill. 

Soonyoung dresses quickly, so that Jihoon wouldn't break down his door again. They're off to the gym in no time, Jihoon hurrying along like the gym is about to close, even though it’s barely midday. Behind him, Soonyoung dawdles, already dreading the high intensity training the buff gym instructor is going to encourage them to do. 

Back It Up Gym seems to be relatively new on the block, frequented by narcissistic twentysomethings hoping to become models or bodybuilders. There's a rumour that a famous actor is a member of the gym - Soonyoung has never seen him, though he keeps an eye out all the time. 

They dump their belongings into secured lockers; Soonyoung dawdling to avoid working out. But Jihoon is already heading over to the work out room, looking for the gym instructor to guide them for today's workout. At the rate they're frequenting the gym,  Jihoon's practically already best friends with the gym instructor, Dongho. He's got pecs bigger than Soonyoung's face, inked with a beautiful star on the right side. His biceps are harder than rocks, but he has the kindest soul that completely contradicts his bad-boy look. 

Dongho is currently busy spotting for someone else on the weight machine, and he waves at Jihoon to begin his own training. To Soonyoung's relief, Jihoon picks a treadmill, perfect for a cardio warm-up before he moves on to other intense regimes. 

If he'd chosen the weight machine, Soonyoung would have to sit there and spot for him for who knows how long. At least for now, he can bounce around with the gym balls without Jihoon snapping at him for being silly. 

Jihoon lets out a deep breath as he steps onto the treadmill. The belt moves along at a moderate pace for Jihoon to brisk walk on it as a warm up. Signing up for a gym membership had been impulsive, but worth it, because he’d been spending all seven days of a one-week old gym membership here, working some steam off. Given his hectic schedule as a university student, he’d always found some excuse to skip exercise, but since that personal humiliation given to him on a platter by that asshole Choi Seungcheol, Jihoon’s been working his frustration off on treadmills and weight machines. 

He can already feel the change in his body. He feels healthier, and stronger. He’s on par with Dongho’s strength in arm wrestling, and the gym instructor had been astonished at Jihoon’s speedy progress. Having Soonyoung with him makes him feel better about himself, since Soonyoung seems to be distracted half the time they’re there, bumming around like an idiot. But that is Soonyoung’s problem, and Jihoon doesn’t quite care - he’s got his own personal goals, and at the end of three months he’s going to be as strong as Dwayne Johnson, if not even stronger. 

Oh, he’s going to take down Choi Seungcheol one day, and this is how he’s preparing for it.

Choi Seungcheol, who had taken over his throne as Karaoke King, breaking his long-standing streak. 

Choi Seungcheol, who has the cutest gummy smile he’d ever seen.

Choi Seungcheol, who’d barely spared him a glance during their second meeting; which irritated him to the core -

His rage kicks in, and he jacks up the intensity of his workout. Stabbing the button on the control panel of the treadmill, making the belt move faster, so that he has to run even quicker, working up a sweat. He’s practically galloping along like a horse when he’s finally satisfied with the speed the machine has to offer him. Now this is what he calls a workout - running along as fast as he can on a treadmill, pushing his body to the limit. 

His heart is pumping blood to his whole body, supplying much-needed oxygen for his screaming muscles. Endorphins kick in, and he’s on a runner’s high, panting for air, but still running along like he’s sprinting to the finish line of a marathon. 

Stupid Choi Seungcheol and his stupid handsome looks. 

Ugh.

More, more, more! He’s going too slow - he needs to run faster!

He picks up the pace, as fast as his legs could carry him. Sweat is streaking down his face, dripping down his chin. His top is already drenched all over, but he’s not quite done yet - he’s just getting started.

“Uh, Hoonie?”

Soonyoung’s concerned voice doesn’t faze him at all, as he sprints along to the highest setting of the treadmill. He focuses on one spot on the wall; his heart pounding almost in sync to his steps.

His motivation is in the form of a handsome man that he’d like to beat up in a violent way. His crime? Being a handsome asshole, that he would like to dominate in either in a bedroom or a fistfight. Both scenarios would also be fine by him, he wouldn't mind. 

Choi freaking Seungcheol. 

Stupid idiot, taking over his crown as karaoke king. He doesn’t look like he can sing well, anyway - probably no competition that night. Huh. And he can’t stop thinking about Choi Seungcheol and the way he hijacked that last karaoke room like a prick. It’s just right to heighten Jihoon’s anger; which triggers a quick adrenaline release that his body needs to keep running. 

Breathe in, breathe out. In, out. In, out…

He runs and runs, until he sees stars in his eyes. Only then he slows down gradually, remembering to breathe; from an all-out run to a brisk walk, before the treadmill halts to a stop. He steps off the machine, smiling to himself. He’s breathing hard through his mouth to replenish his body’s oxygen deficit. A quick break would be nice, before he moves on to the weights. 

Soonyoung silently hands him an isotonic drink, and he gulps it down in one go. 

“Uh, Dongho says you might wanna pace yourself.” Soonyoung says in a tiny voice. 

Jihoon crumples up the empty bottle he’d just drank from, handing it back to Soonyoung, ignoring his words. He’ll have more fluids later, after his weights. There’s absolutely no time for a break - his body is ready to go, go, go! 

Wiping the sweat off his face with the hem of his shirt, Jihoon’s pleasantly surprised to find that it’s already soaked through. All that sweat, just from an extremely intense cardio session - he’s definitely on track to become super fit and super buff like those celebrated Olympians, whose sole goal in life is to train their bodies. His damp shirt sticks to his skin like glue, and it’s becoming a bit uncomfortable. He’s got a spare in his bag in the lockers, but he can’t be bothered to get changed. Maybe on some other day he would've been interested to see how much sweat he’d produced just through intense cardio - but not today! He flexes his arms; his muscles are all warmed up, ready for some weights. 

Soonyoung follows him to the weight machine, looking around for Dongho, who could probably knock some sense into Jihoon. But there’s no sign of the gym instructor, though he can see a couple of guys entering the gym. 

Jihoon discards his wet shirt, tossing it onto the floor as he heads over to the weights. Maybe it would be too soon, but Soonyoung expects Jihoon to have Super Saiyan abs underneath, though that doesn’t seem to be the case (yet). Still, he looks quite toned, and Soonyoung can’t help but compare the squishiness of his own tummy to Jihoon’s flat abdomen. 

They’re not the only ones in the gym now, joined by the two guys who had just arrived. Naturally, Jihoon’s not one to show off skin in public, but he’s just hot and bothered and wants to continue on with his workout, since he’s feeling more energised than an excited child on Christmas morning -

“You want to do weights?”

“Yeah, it’s weight day.” 

Jihoon’s head instantly snaps towards the direction of the newcomers. He recognises the second voice easily - it had been haunting him for at least the past month.

And he’s here, in the flesh. 

Choi Seungcheol, the bane and the reason of Jihoon’s existence. 

Jihoon’s nipples instantly harden, and his face turns red in embarrassment and/or fury.

First, he steals Jihoon’s karaoke king title. Then, he takes Jihoon’s karaoke room. Now, he has to work out at the exact same gym? There’s probably a thousand other gyms in the whole city, and he has to pick this one, too. 

What a poseur. 

There’s no time to waste. Jihoon lies down on the bench press, already gripping the bar. 

“Kwon!” 

Soonyoung scuttles over to help Jihoon, who doesn’t really need his help at all. He’s already pumping iron a million times a minute, his face gritting as he bears the weights on his battered muscles. At the rate Jihoon’s going, he’s going to strain himself, but Soonyoung’s a bit distracted by the newcomers, preening himself to look presentable. He'd realised that it's Glasses Guy trailing behind Choi Seungcheol, so he's got to look his best as he can, wearing joggers and an old T-shirt he'd gotten from the bottom of his dresser. 

Meanwhile, Choi Seungcheol frowns at Jihoon, seeing his intense weight lifting. He chooses to ignore it, and picks an adjacent weight machine to begin his own workout, as his friend spots for him. He’s much calmer than Jihoon, taking the weights at his own pace, exactly how Dongho the gym instructor had taught them during a prior session. 

“Hello.” Soonyoung grins at Choi Seungcheol’s friend. He’s one out of the two that had accompanied Seungcheol at the karaoke bar last week - the one wearing glasses, who had captured Soonyoung’s attention. He doesn't need to be at the gym, because wouldn't he be tired of running around Soonyoung's mind all the damn time? 

That would make a smooth (if not embarrassingly lame) pick-up line, but Soonyoung's too mesmerised by Glasses Guy to even utter another word. 

Of course, he’s not wearing glasses right now, as he exercises and Soonyoung thinks he looks insanely handsome without them. He looks like he can be someone important. Like some young, rich CEO. Or maybe a model. Or maybe a writer. Or maybe someone smart and accomplished who wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about Soonyoung, who’s just a simple college student. 

Handsome Glasses Dude Who’s Not Wearing Glasses Now turns to Soonyoung and gives him a small nod of acknowledgement. “Your friend okay?” 

Jihoon’s practically Hulking out, lifting more than his recommended weight. He’s pumping steel with zero chill, doing reps quicker than Soonyoung can even spell out his own name. 

“I lost count.” Soonyoung admits. He’d been staring at the stranger’s ears instead of keeping an eye on his best friend. He decides that the stranger had cute ears, which are turning a lovely shade of red.

“Me too.” The stranger motions at Choi Seungcheol, who he’s spotting for. And somehow, Choi Seungcheol looks like he’s being triggered by Jihoon, pumping iron as much as he could to beat Jihoon. The determined look on his face shows that he doesn’t want to lose to Jihoon, like they’re in some kind of silent battle of the brawn to prove who’s the strongest. 

Soonyoung suppresses a giggle. It’s quite a sight to see these two guys lift weights like crazy, competitive tension thickening in the air, saturated by sweat and testosterone. He just has to make sure that Jihoon doesn’t hurt himself, but he can’t help but sneak glances at Choi Seungcheol’s friend, who is actually doing a good job as a spotter. “You’re doing great.” He says out of the blue. 

Handsome Glasses Dude Who’s Not Wearing Glasses Now smiles at Soonyoung, which makes his knees turn into jelly. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

It’s a downright lie, because Soonyoung has strayed away from Jihoon, but he’s flattered. And people say that falling in love in a gym is a cliche -

Gym instructor Dongho comes around with a towel around his neck; he’d been on a break after training a previous client. The smile on his face fades when he sees two men on the weight machines, lifting like there’s no tomorrow; while their spotters are sharing some kind of inside joke. His internal alarm bells go off like mad; this is just a disaster waiting to happen… 

At least he has the number for emergency services ready, just in case.

Soonyoung grins and waves at Dongho, hoping he would take over and spot for Jihoon, but the brawny gym trainer goes over to Choi Seungcheol and his friend instead. They’re closer to him, anyway, and Soonyoung tries to focus on spotting for Jihoon, even though he’s clearly eavesdropping.

“Hello, Mr Choi; Mr Jeon. How’s it going?” Dongho greets the pair with a patient, manufactured smile. 

Choi Seungcheol grunts out some unintelligible response, while his friend nods. 

Jihoon slows down his repetitions, feeling somewhat satisfied. It seems like Dongho’s still on formal surname basis with those guys; while he calls Jihoon and Soonyoung by their names. That means Dongho’s closer to him and Soonyoung, rather than those pricks. 

A small win for Jihoon, but it's still a win nonetheless. 

Though he’s a bit salty that the gym instructor went straight over to Choi Seungcheol instead of helping him, because Soonyoung is a useless spotter. His muscles are now straining after almost a hundred repetitions, his lungs feeling tight, trying to suck in as much oxygen as possible. His bare back is sticking to the faux leather of the bench press, and even though he feels like dying, his hatred for Choi Seungcheol is still strong, which pushes him to do even more. 

Maybe he’ll hit the punching bags after this, and imagine pummeling Choi Seungcheol’s stupid, handsome face into a bloody pulp. But knowing his luck, Choi Seungcheol would probably still look very godly, no matter the damage. 

Or maybe, he could ask Soonyoung to add 20kg to his weights right now, adding more resistance to build up his muscle strength. But he can’t even get a coherent word out, choking on his own saliva as he tries to call Soonyoung. 

“Jihoon, you’re overexerting yourself.” Dongho intervenes at the right moment, stopping him. “I think you better take a break.” The gym instructor helps Jihoon put the weights back into its initial position safely, and tells him to sit up. 

Jihoon’s as pale as ever, and he doesn’t want to get up, breathing heavily. Next to him, Choi Seungcheol is still calmly lifting weights, as his spotter mutters, “Two hundred.” 

Dammit. Jihoon doesn’t know how many times he did, because Soonyoung’s not exactly helping him. As he extricates himself from the weight machine, Jihoon suddenly sees stars in his eyes. He feels light-headed, and he reaches out to grab onto something to stabilise himself. Dongho takes Jihoon’s arm so that he doesn’t topple over, making him sit on the weight bench. 

Jihoon’s heart is beating too fast, and every inch of his body is covered in sweat. His hands are pale, and they’re trembling uncontrollably, like his motor nerves has been detached from his brain. His body has gone haywire from too much exercise, driven by his emotions. He balls his hands into fists, trying to stop them from shaking, and trying not to think about the damned good-looking man still lifting weights on the next bench. 

God, he hates Choi Seungcheol with all his heart and butt. 

Which is unfair, because he’s so criminally handsome that Jihoon can’t escape the sexual tension - 

“Hoonie?” Soonyoung already has another bottle of isotonic drink ready. Jihoon snatches it away from him, emptying the bottle so clumsily that half of the fluid trickles down his chin instead. 

“Take the rest of the day off, Jihoon.” Dongho instructs with a solemn look on his face. Behind him, Choi Seungcheol sits up, done with his reps. He’s got an inquisitive smirk on his face, which makes Jihoon terribly frustrated; but his body is too tired to be angry, and he desperately needs some rest. 

Dongho’s right - he might just accidentally kill himself from overexertion before he can fight Choi Seungcheol if he keeps going. It’s definitely time to pack up and leave. He stands up shakily, focusing his brain onto walking, and not onto Choi Seungcheol. One foot ahead, then another. He ignores the cramping pain in the muscles, acting like he’s okay, because Choi freaking Seungcheol is watching. 

But he can’t help it - he shoots off a fiery glare at Choi Seungcheol, before he picks up his wet shirt from the padded floor, and leaves. 

Gym instructor Dongho watches Jihoon exit, puzzled by his sudden overenthusiasm and irritated departure. But he’s a trainer, not a counsellor, so it’s not really his place to check in on Jihoon’s mental health; though he hopes Jihoon can straighten out his emotions and return to normal. Shaking his head, he apologises to his newest client, Seungcheol, before giving some advice to Seungcheol about the next part of his training regime: bicep curls. 

As Seungcheol follows Dongho over to another area, Soonyoung’s left with Seungcheol’s friend, Mr Handsome Glasses Dude Who’s Not Wearing Glasses Now.

Awkward silence, which Soonyoung breaks with a little laugh. He doesn’t know why he’s feeling giggly, but there are butterflies in his tummy as he stands next to the stranger. He’s usually a chatterbox, but now he’s just speechless in the stranger’s presence, with everything and nothing to say to him. 

“Jeon Wonwoo.” Handsome Glasses Dude Who’s Not Wearing Glasses Now extends his hand for a formal handshake, which Soonyoung accepts with both of his hands, shaking his hand enthusiastically as he bounces on his feet. 

“Soonyoung. Kwon. Some people call me Edward.” Soonyoung’s words crash into each other like falling dominoes. He’s just terribly excited to make a new acquaintance out of Jeon Wonwoo, who’s mature and funny and has given a simple uni student like him the light of day. He’s gripping tightly onto Wonwoo’s large, bony hand, admiring how grown-up it looks. All the things he could do with this hand - simply unimaginable. 

Wonwoo smiles, which makes him even more handsome than ever, and Soonyoung tries his best not to swoon. “Pleased to meet you.” He gives Soonyoung a once-over, from head to toe, which makes Soonyoung feel conscious about himself. Soonyoung wants to say something else, but all the linguistic function in his brain-turned-fluff has completely deteriorated within a few seconds, rendering him into a person with the language ability of an infant. 

He must look like an idiot in front of Jeon Wonwoo. His cheeks flush red, which somehow makes Wonwoo smile even wider, as he leans closer to ask Soonyoung a question. 

“Would you be available for dinner tonight?” 

* * *

Jihoon rolls over in bed, wincing in pain. He hates to admit that Dongho had been right about overexerting himself, and now he regrets everything. 

His whole body is aching, and all his joints are creaking. He feels horrible, like his body’s breaking down - is this what it feels like to be a ninety year old man with severe arthritis? No wonder old people are always grumpy. Their aging bodies aren’t cooperating with them, and it sucks to hurt where it shouldn’t. 

He checks the time on his phone. It’s almost dinnertime. Which means that he’d spent the whole afternoon lying down, following a long, hot shower once he’d gotten back from the gym. If he’s not hungry right now, he would have gladly gone to sleep. But his traitorous stomach is grumbling at him, begging to be filled with delicious food.

Soonyoung’s a good eating buddy, so he’s first on Jihoon’s list of people to call. 

Surprisingly, Soonyoung doesn’t pick up the phone. He can’t be bothered to figure out where Soonyoung is, because he’s hungry, on the verge of becoming angry. And Jihoon’s not a nice person to be around when he’s hangry. So he calls the next (last) person on his list. 

“Hi, Jihoon!” Seokmin radiates sunshine in his greeting, somehow brightening up Jihoon’s darkened bedroom with his cheerful tone. 

“Want to eat?” Jihoon goes straight to the point. 

Seokmin’s melodious laughter is contagious, and it makes Jihoon crack a smile. “Can’t say no to that.”

They make an arrangement to meet up in fifteen minutes, without really deciding what to eat. Jihoon could practically eat a whole horse if he could, but of course, as a college kid, he’ll have to go for an affordable menu. He bundles up in a thick hoodie, wincing as he pulls it on. Even walking in his favourite slides are hell, but for food, he steels himself. 

“Chicken or tteokbokki?” Seokmin suggests the second they meet on the street. 

Rice cakes sound like an amazing comfort food when his body is hurting, but Jihoon loves chicken over everything else. 

They walk to a local fried chicken restaurant, where deliciously greasy aroma emanates from the front door. The dinner rush has just started, and they’re lucky enough to get a seat in the restaurant. Ordering is easy enough - chicken and cola - and the two friends ease into small talk about uni and classes; Seokmin leading the chatter. 

“I tried calling Soonie, but he didn’t pick up.” Jihoon complains. “Don’t tell him we’re here, he’s going to whine until I take him here.”

Seokmin’s frowning, craning his neck. He’d just seen someone familiar entering the restaurant. “Isn’t that Soonyoung?” 

Jihoon whirls around to see Soonyoung laughing along with some guy that seems familiar, but he can’t quite place. Tall, with a serious expression that disappears when he smiles, like right now, as Soonyoung tiptoes to tell him a joke. 

“What an asshole. He didn’t tell me he’s on a date.” Jihoon grumbles. It’s icky, seeing Soonyoung all flirty with a stranger that he doesn’t recognise. 

“Shh. He hasn’t seen us.” 

Soonyoung and the stranger settle down at a table near the door. It's a bit too far for them to snoop, but still far enough so Soonyoung doesn’t notice them. 

“Isn’t that the guy from the karaoke last week? With the Seungcheol guy?” Seokmin tries to guess the stranger’s identity.

Jihoon can’t answer that question, because he’d only been fixated on Choi Seungcheol that night. He’d be useless as a witness in a court case, because he only has eyes for Choi freaking Seungcheol and nobody else.

He makes a disgruntled noise, disgusted that Choi Seungcheol is still poisoning his mind. Time to focus his negative energy on someone else. 

Not Seokmin, though, because that boy is as innocent as a newborn baby sheathed in pure white cloth. 

So he scrambles for his phone, sending Soonyoung a quick message. 

It pops up in Soonyoung’s inbox at once - the vibration of his phone in his pocket tickling his thigh. Wonwoo’s busy ordering for both of them, so he takes the chance to glance at his phone. 

A missed call and one unread message from Jihoon. He opens the message, hoping that it’s not anything important - 

A poop emoji. 

Dumb. 

He puts the phone in silent mode, choosing to ignore Jihoon’s wrath. Then he stares at Wonwoo, who’s wearing his glasses tonight, looking all smart and scholarly and thoughtful. He’s poring through the menu, trying to pick what Soonyoung would like, because Soonyoung has given him the veto power of choosing his dinner even though this is their very first… date? Rendezvous? Meeting as strangers who want to get to know each other?

Soonyoung’s going to call it a date, for simplicity, because he doesn’t know French, and the other phrase is a mouthful. 

He can’t quite believe that he’s on a date with an older guy. Yes, Jeon Wonwoo is older, but not that old - he’d graduated from university just last year, and now he has a job as an economic analyst at a major company in the city. He’s very mature, mentioning his interest in classical music and botany. (Soonyoung makes a mental note to do an internet search about those topics for their next date-thing) And he’s very handsome, too, with striking features, and a warm smile that never leaves his lips when Soonyoung blurts something out without thinking. 

“So, Soonyoung.” Wonwoo turns back to him, as the waiter leaves with their order. “Are you enjoying yourself?” His question sounds oddly paternal, but Soonyoung doesn’t care - Wonwoo can become his dad(dy) if he wants to. Why else would a man like Jeon Wonwoo ask Soonyoung out, right? He knows he’s cute, and even though he’s never dipped his toes into the sugar daddy world, he’s heard stories about it. He wouldn’t mind for someone to take care of him, because even Jihoon says that he’s a big baby. 

“I love chicken!” Soonyoung beams, even though his answer has nothing to do with Wonwoo’s question. He wants to slap himself for acting like a toddler, but he can’t help himself. His mind and body are separate entities, working independently. 

“Me, too.” Wonwoo arranges the napkins in the napkin holder that sits in between them on the table, then hands one to Soonyoung. “I think you’ll like what I ordered for you.”

“Thank you!” Soonyoung smiles his cutest smile possible, hoping that Wonwoo would find him adorable if he hasn’t already. He fiddles with his napkin, straightening out its edges. He’s aware that Wonwoo’s staring at him intensely, looking like he’s got important things to say -

“I have something to ask you.”

Just as Soonyoung had expected, and his heart skips a beat. He leans in closer, ready to listen to Wonwoo, widening his small eyes in an exaggerated fashion. He can’t fully read Wonwoo’s serious expression, wondering what the older man would want from him, his anticipation building up like a wave -

“Your friend, the small guy.”

And the wave of anticipation crashes down abruptly, before it could reach the sandy beaches of nirvana. Did Jeon Wonwoo ask him out just to ask about Jihoon? Oh, the betrayal... But Soonyoung tries to keep it cool, hiding his true feelings. “Jihoon? What about him?”

“You’re close to him, aren’t you?”

“You could say that he’s my best friend.” As in, if you try to hurt Jihoon, I’ll kill you, no matter how breathtakingly handsome you are, Soonyoung thinks. 

“I see.” Wonwoo nods, trying to sequence his next sentence carefully. “I noticed that he seems annoyed at my friend Seungcheol.” 

Soonyoung exhales deeply through his mouth. This isn’t how he’d imagined their date to turn out. “The guy who you were with at the gym?”

“Yes. I was at the karaoke with him too, the other night. I remember you wearing that tiger shirt.”

“That’s my favourite shirt.” Soonyoung gapes. Wonwoo must’ve been very observant to notice what Soonyoung had been wearing to the karaoke bar last week. 

(But of course, no normal civilian would voluntarily wear a tiger printed shirt in public.) 

“I like it.” Wonwoo says, his tone sincere. 

Soonyoung’s heart blooms like a flower in spring - that’s the first compliment he’d gotten for his tiger shirt; everyone else made fun of him for it. But here’s Wonwoo, admitting that he likes Soonyoung’s fashion sense. “Me too!” 

Wonwoo grins even wider, amused at Soonyoung’s confidence. “Do you like tigers?”

“I was born a tiger.” He does his best tiger cub imitation, curling his fingers into what he thinks resembles like tiger claws. 

“Goodness.” Wonwoo raises an inquisitive eyebrow, slightly taken aback, wondering if Soonyoung’s pulling his leg. “That’s interesting.”

Soonyoung twiddles his thumbs, keeping an innocent smile on his face. That had turned a bit odd, thanks to his runaway mouth, saying absurd things before his brain can filter his words. But Wonwoo turns the conversation to Soonyoung’s university course, which he delves into with a sea of complaints of his overbearing workload. Their food arrives in the middle of their conversation, which halts their talk; as Wonwoo organises the dishes and drinks - he’d ordered more than enough. 

He pushes a plate of fried chicken towards Soonyoung, who’d been subtly eyeing it ever since their waiter had put it on their table. “Yours.”

“This is my favourite food! How did you know?” The amazement is evident in Soonyoung’s soft features. He’d never mentioned it to Wonwoo before, but somehow the man had guessed it right. Fried chicken, just the way Soonyoung likes it. 

Maybe they’re soulmates, and Wonwoo can just read his mind. 

He immediately takes a big bite of the freshly cooked chicken, savouring its salty, greasy flavour on his tongue; as Wonwoo watches him eat with a fascinated expression on his face. Soonyoung’s eating like a starved tiger cub, though the way he fills his cheeks with food is reminiscent of a hamster. 

An adorable little hamster. 

Wonwoo smiles to himself at the random animal analogy, wondering what he’d gotten himself into, inviting an eccentric college kid out for dinner. It could be a good thing, because he’d noticed that he hasn’t stopped smiling since the second they met up for the evening. He feels relaxed, and talking to Soonyoung is like opening a Pandora’s box - he never knows what to expect next, and he likes the element of surprise. 

“Are you gonna eat?” Soonyoung asks with his mouth full. 

Wonwoo nods. As he reaches out for a chicken wing, his eye catches a familiar face staring at them, from another table near the kitchens at the back of the restaurant. A small, pale face, eyebrows clearly knitted into a discerning scowl. Wonwoo has seen that face twice in his lifetime, and he knows exactly who it is. 

Soonyoung’s friend, Jihoon is here. 

Wonwoo decides not to tell Soonyoung about it, since the boy is clearly enjoying his food. 

And Jihoon’s problem with Seungcheol isn’t one of his major concerns. He’s more interested in Soonyoung, rather than the silent drama between those two, whom he believes are complete strangers. Seungcheol had testified so, puzzlingly - that random kid who he’d never spoken to, has some kind of beef with him, which led to this rendezvous. 

Sure, Wonwoo did ask Soonyoung out to talk about Jihoon, but he figures that it’s not his responsibility to solve the tension between Jihoon and Seungcheol. If Seungcheol’s bothered about it, then he should confront Jihoon on his own. Wonwoo, as good of a friend he is, won’t go about nosing around other people’s business. He’s an economist, not a detective, after all. 

So Wonwoo begins a new topic of conversation as he eats, and Soonyoung gets completely absorbed into describing all his favourite food without ever noticing that his best friend Jihoon is boring a hole into his back with an angry stare. 

Soonyoung hasn’t had fun on a _date/rendezvous/meeting between two strangers who want to get to know each other better_ since forever, without the added pressure of hyping things up all the time. With Wonwoo, it’s easy to have a relaxing conversation with him, and the jokes come naturally. They seem to have a similar brand of humour, or rather, Wonwoo’s quite adept at humoring Soonyoung, tagging along with his lame jokes. 

All thoughts of his best friend forgotten, Soonyoung has the time of his life spending the evening with a handsome, older man. As dinner draws to an end - their plates licked clean, and their bellies filled with food - Soonyoung wonders if this would be a one-off thing…

He’d love it if Wonwoo would ask him out on another _date/rendezvous/meeting between two acquaintances getting to know each other_ ; and he’s too chicken (pun intended) to ask Wonwoo about it himself. Wonwoo pays for their meal before Soonyoung could even remember where he put his wallet, and insists that it’s his treat when Soonyoung offers him the meagre cash he finds in his pocket. 

That simple gesture, which probably means nothing to Wonwoo, makes Soonyoung feel special. A fluttery feeling rises in his gut, and he gives Wonwoo his squishiest smile yet. Maybe next time, if they meet again, Soonyoung could buy him ice-cream. Not exactly what a grown-up would appreciate, but he knows where to get some really nice ice-cream that Wonwoo might like. 

Only if he has the guts to invite Wonwoo out. He feels like a child next to the man, who seems like he’s got his whole life straightened out for him. There’s no reason for Wonwoo to want to associate himself with a chaotic semi-adult human like Soonyoung, who does most things impulsively -

His chest grows warmer, and he could feel the pulse thumping in his neck vessels as he suppresses the words he really wants to say to Wonwoo. He’s still got a chance while they’re still here, but Wonwoo’s already standing, ready to give up their table for other waiting patrons. His chance flies away like paper in the wind, never to be seen again. He’s already regretting not telling Wonwoo, but the man gives him a warm smile that makes him forget about it. 

“Can we do this again?” Wonwoo asks, as they walk out of the restaurant. He holds the door open for Soonyoung, letting him walk ahead onto the street first. 

“Eat chicken?” Soonyoung says the first nonsensical thing that appears in his mind. Jeon Wonwoo had somehow read his mind, vocalising the words Soonyoung never dared to say. He wouldn’t mind eating more chicken with Jeon Wonwoo, as long as he gets to see the older man again. He’s in cloud nine; he can’t think straight anymore at the prospect of going on another _date/rendezvous/meeting between two people who want to get to know each other_ with Jeon freaking Wonwoo! 

Wonwoo laughs. He finds Soonyoung silly, but still adorable enough to make him ask: “I’d like to see you again.” 

* * *

Jihoon’s taking a break from studying. His brain is saturated with too many technical terms that he has started to dream about them at night. Midterms had just passed, but his professors are already piling on more work. Why do midterms exist? All that content he’d studied for will appear in the final exams anyway, so he can’t do a brain dump and forget about everything he’d revised. 

The back of his neck is tight with stress, and he flops onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. 

It’s late, so he can’t go to the gym to work some steam off. Karaoke would be out of the picture too, because he’s broke - though the idea of releasing stress by singing his lungs out seems tempting. 

He’d call one of his two close friends, but Seokmin has a deadline to rush, and he’s mad at Soonyoung for fraternizing with the enemy.

He still can’t quite believe that Soonyoung had been together with Choi Seungcheol’s friend for dinner. He’d been watching them all evening, witnessing Soonyoung being shamelessly flirty around the bespectacled guy, who seemed to look at Soonyoung with equally adoring eyes. 

It sends shivers down his spine. Kwon Soonyoung dating Choi Seungcheol’s friend, of all the seven billion people on this damned planet?

Barf. 

He could’ve done worse, but Jihoon doesn’t really care about Soonyoung’s love life. 

His own love life is in shambles - he doesn’t want to admit that he’s crushing hard on someone that he hates completely with all his heart and butt. 

Choi freaking Seungcheol. 

The idiot guy who’d ruined his life. Not completely, but Jihoon had been deprived of the euphoria of spending an evening singing karaoke with friends. That, and he just had to join the exact same gym as Jihoon, dragging along a friend that Soonyoung might be married to right now. 

If Choi Seungcheol didn’t exist in his life, none of this would be happening.

And if Jihoon had shared his concerns with Seokmin, a psychology major, he would probably classify Jihoon as a class A nuthead who doesn’t want to face his feelings (though Seokmin would put it in a kinder way, bless his pure soul). Jihoon’s hatred for Choi Seungcheol stems from such petty reasons that it’s laughably ridiculous. 

He remembers the first time he saw Choi Seungcheol peeping into their karaoke room four long weeks ago. His angelic smile, complete with dimples, melts Jihoon’s knees; and he’s glad he’s lying down. Those dark brown eyes, framed by impossibly long lashes, staring straight at Jihoon even when Soonyoung had been making a fool of himself nearby, wiggling his butt to a dance-pop song that seemed less than romantic for a moment like that. Jihoon remembers the way his heart fluttered at that moment, all because of Choi Seungcheol. 

That had been such a random occurrence, almost pure serendipity, only in the form of Choi Seungcheol’s blessed handsome looks. The rest had been hell. 

Choi Seungcheol might look like an angel, but his personality seems to be hand-picked by the devil himself. All he has done so far was annoy Jihoon in ways that he doesn’t even realise. And this kind of love-hate (non)relationship is toxic for Jihoon, who would never admit in a million years that the only person at the forefront of his mind all day and all night for twenty four hours, seven days a week is Choi Seungcheol. 

Hell, they’re complete strangers, and Jihoon isn’t going to be tripping over his feet to introduce himself to Choi Seungcheol. But the way Choi Seungcheol plagues his mind - both positively and negatively, is taking a toll on his mind, and he’s going mad. 

Mad for the man’s stupid smile and his dimples and his beautiful eyes and otherworldly beauty that stands out in a crowd of average men. He’s got unique, attractive features, which means that Jihoon’s got an acquired taste for a specific man with wondrously tasty, luscious lips that he lusts over every night he goes to bed. 

And that last glimpse of Seungcheol’s stupid muscly arms before Jihoon left the gym can induce nosebleeds and invoke dirty dreams; still freshly imprinted in Jihoon’s mind, a new addition to his mental folder of pictures of Seungcheol that he can daydream about. 

Those arms. What does Choi Seungcheol need all those muscles for? Jihoon wonders about being trapped in them, in a non-kinky way. The idea of being close to Choi Seungcheol sends shivers down Jihoon’s back. Subconsciously, his hand snakes past the waistband on his pants, reaching for his penis. It’s already hard, easily stimulated by the image of a sweaty, muscly man pinning him down against the floor -

Just a slick tease, and Jihoon moans. He pulls his pants down, making quick work with his hands; imagining Choi Seungcheol jerking him off, desperate for Jihoon’s forgiveness. Each stroke, he thinks, would never be enough for Choi Seungcheol’s sins - he’d have to pay with more pleasure before Jihoon could even think to be civil to Choi Seungcheol. 

God, Jihoon would give everything for Choi Seungcheol to take in his length with those pink, plump lips. 

But he’ll have to make do playing with himself right now, imagining each adept ministration is from Choi Seungcheol’s big, manly hands, not his. 

(And no, it’s not weird to masturbate to the guy he hates the most, because said guy has a really attractive face that makes Jihoon hard in seconds.)

He comes faster than he would’ve liked, panting as he writhes on his bed. But he doesn’t stop, his hands still moving in motion for pleasurable friction as he moans out Seungcheol’s name, until he milks out the final spurt of semen. 

Spent, Jihoon lies there in the middle of his bed. He lets out one last happy sigh, high on lust and desire over Choi Seungcheol. 

Choi Seungcheol…

Certified asswipe. 

He sits up, suddenly hating the sticky sensation of his own semen on his skin. He’d just jerked off to Choi Seungcheol, whom he hates… and he’d thoroughly enjoyed it? Disgusted at himself, he pulls his stained sheets from the bed and balls them up, chucking them into his laundry basket. 

What an amateur. He’d know by now, how to jerk off without making a big mess. Now he has to clean up, just because of Choi Seungcheol. 

But the gratification that comes with it - priceless. 

And he hadn’t thought that he had it in him to produce that much ejaculate masturbating. 

Ugh, Choi freaking Seungcheol. 

He strips off his dirty clothes, adding it to the laundry pile, which is now enormous. He walks over butt naked to his shabby wardrobe, and is surprised to find that he’s only got one shirt left. And the worst part, no underwear.

He’s been so out of it to even do laundry. Irritated that he’s out of underwear, he quickly gets dressed with the last black shirt hanging in his cupboard, pairing it with comfortable joggers that won’t hurt his nuts, since he has no choice but to go commando. 

Time to visit the laundromat, otherwise, he’d have to sleep on his scratchy mattress with his balls hanging out to freeze. 

He hauls the dirty laundry into a bag, remembering to grab his empty wallet as he leaves his dinky room, endlessly grumbling about Choi Seungcheol.

The streets are quiet as the city goes to sleep. Jihoon only hears the sound of his slippers shuffling against the gravel as he makes his way along the empty roads. He’s lucky that there’s a self-service laundromat near his dorm, so that’s where he’s headed. He’s just got enough money for a full cycle - a wash and dry - and maybe a bottle of cola, since he hasn’t had anything to eat since who knows when. 

The brightly lit laundromat burns his eyes, and he hurriedly piles his laundry into one of the machines. The place is empty, and it sends eerie chills down Jihoon’s spine. For some reason, he doesn’t feel comfortable hanging out there alone, waiting for the laundry to finish. He’s a ball of nerves, as if a ghost would apparate out of nowhere to scare him. 

A little meow from behind him makes him jump, curling up into a tiny ball. It had come from a tiny kitten hiding underneath the bench he’s standing by. He smiles to himself, feeling silly that he’d been scared by such a small creature. He reaches out to pet it, but the kitten darts off into the night, seemingly scared by Jihoon’s advances. 

Jihoon is now truly alone in the bright laundromat; the only sound being his laundry spinning around mechanically in soapy water. 

Half an hour until the laundry cycle completes. 

He could sit there and watch the laundry until he gets dizzy, but his stomach grumbles from hunger. He hasn’t been feeding himself properly recently, getting too hung up on classes and Choi Seungcheol. Maybe now would be a good time to grab some snacks so he doesn’t die of starvation.

With hope that no one would steal his laundry, he leaves the laundromat for the convenience store to grab something to eat, knowing that he just has enough for some cola and maybe a cup of ramen.

The high street is slightly more alive than the road the laundromat is located; and there are a few people milling around this late at night. Feeling slightly comforted at the presence of other humans, he presses onwards to the store at the end of the street. Around him, restaurants are rolling down their shutters for the day, their tired workers going home to rest before repeating their routine tomorrow. Students enter bars for a late night drink to ease their stress; some already drunk, yelling loudly. And office workers looking completely shattered as they exit late night establishments, dreading to go home. There’s a loose sense of community among the late night revellers, as they go about enjoying themselves, and Jihoon feels left out, all by himself -

Nah, he’s fine on his own. 

The 24-hour convenience store is conveniently located on the farthest end of the street, so Jihoon has to walk past rows and rows of shops that are already closed at this hour. He abruptly stops at a familiar spot, neon lights from the shop lot near him bathing the street with a splash of colour. 

He’s standing at the entrance to the 247 Karaoke Bar. 

A wave of sappy emotions wash over him, making him suddenly miss the karaoke’s cringey disco lights and cracked faux leather seats. It’s probably going to close soon, a couple of hours after midnight. The neon lights of the sign of the karaoke bar flicker, needing a fix-up, intermittently colouring Jihoon’s face a bright pink as it flashes.

That dumb, misleading sign of one of his favourite places in the world. 

If he had the money, he’d go straight in. 

But he can’t afford it, spending the last bit of his extra cash at the laundromat instead. 

All because of Choi Seungcheol, tainting his mind and bedsheets with stupid sexy smiles and dirty dreams. 

He should get a move on and grab that bottle of cola he wanted from the convenience store that he’d been thirsting for, but he’s rooted to his spot. He doesn’t want cola anymore. He wants Choi Seungcheol, and he wants to physically beat the daylights out of the man. 

His crush(???) on Choi Seungcheol is getting a bit insufferable, and he despises how weak his heart is, just because Choi Seungcheol has a pretty face. Even so, he’s got this violent urge to disarm Choi Seungcheol and subdue him as he deserves, for being an idiot. Added with Jihoon’s shameless thirst for the man, it makes a dangerous combo indeed - he doesn’t even know what he really wants to do, because he knows that Choi Seungcheol is completely out of his league. That is proven by the time in the karaoke foyer, when Choi Seungcheol had simply passed by him without looking back, claiming the room that Jihoon was about to book - with the air of someone who knows his place in the world, unlike Jihoon, who belongs in the slums of self-actualisation. 

No way in hell that Choi Seungcheol would ever acknowledge him, an angry little college kid dissatisfied by the unfair treatment of a sixteen-time karaoke king (himself). 

He stares hard at the entrance of the karaoke bar, almost wishing for Choi Seungcheol to appear out of thin air. 

And he does, looking like he’d just finished with a photoshoot, with his hair all mussed up, and cheeks flushed from alcohol. He’s dressed in a suit underneath his large coat, his tie loosened and the top buttons of his shirt undone. He looks like he’s modelling some kind of trendy after-work fashion that makes him seem less like a villain, but the male romantic lead in those sappy dramas Soonyoung and Seokmin binge watch. 

Jihoon almost topples over in surprise, but his face automatically crumples up into a scowl as Choi Seungcheol approaches him. He’s flustered - his heart racing, his dick hardening and he hopes that Choi Seungcheol would walk past him like he did that one time, because he’s sure that he looks like a horny, deranged hobo, prowling the streets like an alley cat. 

There’s a flicker of recognition in Seungcheol’s eyes - who could forget about the young man who’d overworked himself at the gym? He hopes that the boy is fine - he should be, since he’s walking around the neighbourhood at night, probably looking for a bite to eat. He’s about to hunt for supper himself, after a nice karaoke session that had been free of charge.

Seungcheol opens his mouth to say hello, but the deep frown between the boy’s eyes stops him. He almost takes a step back, quickly thinking how to placate the stranger and strike up an amicable conversation with him. 

“Asswipe.” The boy suddenly mutters under his breath, loud enough for Seungcheol to hear. Then he turns on his heel and stomps away before Seungcheol could even react. 

Seungcheol blinks in confusion, watching the boy fume down the street. He’d never spoken to the boy before - hell, he doesn’t even know his name! And he has the audacity to swear at him, Choi Seungcheol, a respected marketing executive in a subsidiary of an established chaebol company, and the newly crowned karaoke king of 247 Karaoke Bar. 

It had been a perfect opportunity to make a new acquaintance, and ask if everything’s okay in the boy’s life, for him to be directing his anger towards an innocent man like Seungcheol. 

But the boy’s gone by now, disappearing off into the brightly lit street. Seungcheol’s not going to chase after him, because he’s got things to do and places to be; so the boy really isn’t a pressing concern at all. He’d probably never see the kid anymore, and Seungcheol wouldn’t miss that at all. Yet can’t deny that he finds the boy quite adorable (even when he’s mad), even though his bratty attitude needs a little discipline. 

But hey, that’s not Seungcheol’s responsibility. 

He just hopes on the off-chance that the next time they meet, the kid wouldn’t be as furious as he’d been tonight. 

* * *

Very Nice Convenience Store is packed with college kids. It’s a mistake for Seungcheol to come here at lunch hour, but he needs a quick, cheap sandwich before he goes for an important meeting that’s due to begin in twenty minutes. The line is as long as the Great Wall of China, snaking between aisles as the only cashier works their ass off, trying to get through the crowd of hungry customers quickly. 

Seungcheol checks his watch. He could either eat his sandwich now in the queue, or stuff his face when he runs back to the office. His boss frowns at anyone who even swallows their own saliva during meetings, so what could be said about eating a whole egg sandwich in the conference room? It’s that old bat’s fault anyway, for scheduling meetings during lunch hour. 

Another cashier opens up, and Seungcheol’s one of the many people that descend on it, forming a new line. It’s still as long as the one he’d been standing in, but he still has fifteen minutes. Five minutes to wait, five minutes to gobble down his lunch, and five minutes to hurry back to the office to make it to the meeting on time.

Standing around a bunch of uni students makes him nostalgic - doing dumb stuff on weekends, consuming unhealthy amounts of ramen and soda. He doesn’t quite miss it; but those had been good times. Now he’s an adult with a proper job and student loans, and he wouldn’t trade it for the miserly college years filled with stress and silly ideas. 

He’s too immersed in his memories that he doesn’t realise that someone has cut the queue, right under his nose. A nerd standing behind Seungcheol notices it, pointing it out to him with a disgruntled look, as if telling him to do something, like shove the boy standing in front of him out of the line, to his rightful place at the back. 

Picking a fight in a place like this is the last thing on Seungcheol’s mind, because he has no time for it. He’s an adult, too, so sensible should be his middle name. 

Seungcheol taps the boy’s shoulder. “Hey, next time, don’t cut the line, okay? We’re all waiting, anyway, so it’s not fair.”

The black-haired boy standing in front of him turns around, and gives him a glare. 

He knows that face.

The nameless boy who’d insulted him in front of 247 Karaoke. 

The nameless boy who’d lifted weights manically at Back It Up Gym. 

And now, the nameless boy who had cut the queue here at Very Nice Convenience Store. 

Three times Seungcheol has met him, and under very odd circumstances. It’s like the heavenly forces are trying to put them together, even though it’s clear as a cloudless sky that the boy has an obvious loathing towards him.

With that one angry stare, Seungcheol is rendered speechless. All his practiced eloquence, out the door - and it’s intriguing to know that this certain boy has that effect on him. 

It’s already the boy’s turn to pay for his bottle of soda, and he shakes out a couple of coins from his shabby wallet. He starts counting the change, but he doesn’t have enough to pay for his purchase. 

“Seriously, man, you’re holding up the line!” The nerd behind Seungcheol shouts impatiently, grabbing attention from everyone in the store. 

Seungcheol thinks quickly, hoping to solve things maturely so that things won’t turn out for the worse. He’s an adult, after all. Pulling out a couple of bills from his wallet, he hands it to the boy. “Here.” 

“I don’t need your charity.” The boy grits, refusing the money. He’s frantically searching the pockets of his backpack for loose change, but his efforts are futile. 

“Dude, just leave if you can’t pay!” Nerd Boy provokes, and Seungcheol tries to ignore him. Nerd Boy deserves a slap to the face for being rude, but the current situation is already on the verge of turning chaotic if Seungcheol turns violent. 

The nameless boy shakes his head and leaves the store in a rush, his cheeks pink from embarrassment. Nerd Boy scoffs, revelling in the nameless boy’s misery, which annoys Seungcheol even more.

“Next.” The cashier calls out, looking quite harried - it’s been a stressful shift. Seungcheol steps up, placing his sandwich on the counter to pay. 

“I’ll take the cola as well.” He adds quickly, shoving money towards the cashier. Quick glance at the door - the boy’s gone, and some random girl enters instead. 

His thought process is going haywire, scrambling all coherent, mature thinking as he figures out what to do. He does know one thing: he’s not going to lose the boy again this time. 

The cashier rings up his purchases, and once he gets his change back, he’s already out the door. The street is full of people, and he fears that he might have lost the boy in a sea of strangers. 

He checks the time. Ten minutes. 

Craning his neck, looking left and right, wondering which direction the boy would’ve taken. Surely he wouldn’t have gotten far - then he spots that familiar backpack he’d seen the black-haired boy carry. 

Seungcheol runs as fast as he can, weaving through the crowd to get to the boy. 

He gets closer, closer - and reaches out to grab the boy’s shoulder to stop him. 

“Hey.” Seungcheol manages, catching his breath. 

The boy whirls around and stares at him. Hard. 

The intensity of the boy’s gaze is incomprehensible; a convoluted mixture of emotions that Seungcheol can’t quite lay out. He’s clearly going through something difficult - Seungcheol recognises that look he’d seen on himself when he’d been younger. 

He lets go of the boy’s shoulder, suddenly feeling guilty that he’d somewhat attacked the boy out of nowhere. Best to be kind, especially if you don’t know of other people’s worries. 

“I’m sorry.” Seungcheol mumbles. The intensity between them has settled into awkwardness, and he tries to diffuse it by handing over the bottle of cola the boy couldn’t afford to buy. 

“I don’t want it.” The boy shakes his head adamantly. 

“I got it for you.” Seungcheol tries again. 

The boy’s eyes never leave Seungcheol’s face, the seconds ticking past, as he contemplates Seungcheol’s offer. Seungcheol wills for a quick answer, because he doesn’t know how much time he has to sprint back to the office, and he can’t be late. 

Seungcheol can’t wait anymore. “Fine. I gotta go.” He takes the soda with him, leaving the boy to his own devices. 

That boy really isn’t any of his business, and Seungcheol hates how he takes to looking after the boy, who’s no more amicable to him than an angry kitty cat. He eats his egg sandwich as he walks back to his office, hoping to focus on the meeting instead of the boy. At least he now has a nice bottle of cola for later; a nice, fizzy caffeine and sugar mix to keep him functioning after his brain has been drained from the important business meeting he's about to attend. 

The rest of the day goes smoothly, and an hour before Seungcheol clocks out for the day, he gets a phone call from Wonwoo. A round of drinks would certainly lift his spirits up, but that’s not what Wonwoo has in mind. 

“Seungcheol. Wanna go on a double date?”

Wonwoo’s idea catches Seungcheol off guard. “Well, if by that, you mean me third-wheeling you on a date, no thanks, buddy.” He’d rather go to 247 Karaoke and sing his lonely melancholy woes away. 

“My date’s bringing a date for you.” Wonwoo says, as if that could convince single pringle Seungcheol. 

“So a blind date for me.” Seungcheol’s sceptical. 

“Kind of.” Even Wonwoo sounds uncertain over the line. 

“So..?”

“We’ll meet at Seventeen Fried Chicken at 7pm?” Wonwoo outlines the plans loosely. “My date and his friend loves chicken.”

Seungcheol likes chicken too, and at least he’ll get dinner out of it, so he agrees. A barbecue would’ve been better, but he needs to be sensible and save some money so he can take his own date there one day and spoil them. 

7 o’clock rolls around too soon, and Seungcheol turns up at the restaurant in his work clothes. Wonwoo’s already there, talking to Mingyu, their mutual friend from uni and occasional karaoke buddy. 

“Please don’t tell me Mingyu’s my date.” Seungcheol exclaims, when he notices the lanky man with the tanned skin grinning at him like an idiot. 

Kim Mingyu is currently a junior designer at a men’s health magazine, and he used to be Seungcheol’s former roommate during their uni days. With his model-esque height, made even more conspicuous with his alluring looks and trendy fashion sense, he’s difficult to lose in a crowd. Part of his charm is his clumsiness, and he knocks into a table as the three of them enter the restaurant together, hastily apologising with a pleasant smile.

“He wanted to join for dinner, so.” Wonwoo sounds annoyed, even if he keeps his expression neutral. He picks a table in the middle of the dining area, so that his date can find them easily. 

Mingyu laughs heartily, because teasing Seungcheol about his love life is fun. He takes in his friend’s appearance - quite disheveled after a long, stressful day at the office. “Lose the tie, Choi. Look casual.”

Seungcheol does what Mingyu tells him, even if he has no one to impress. Mingyu’s quite fashion forward, after all, and it wouldn’t hurt for him to look good. He stuffs the tie into his pocket, loosening the top buttons of his shirt. The fried chicken restaurant is humid and smells of spices and grease, and it reminds him of special dinners in college, celebrating the end of exams and whatnot. Fried chicken used to be a luxury for him, but at least now, he can afford it. His next goal is to be able to afford a barbecue dinner without burning a hole in his pocket.

“I promise I won’t steal you guys’s dates, okay? I’ll be a good wingman.” Mingyu says, shooting a friendly smile at their teenage waitress as she hands them some menus. 

“Should we order first? I’m hungry.” Seungcheol asks, already flipping through the glossy, laminated pages of the menu. Wonwoo nods, glancing at the entrance anxiously for his date. Seungcheol notices that Wonwoo’s on edge, like he’s excited and nervous at the same time. He hasn’t seen Wonwoo like this since uni, so it makes him glad that his friend is back on the dating scene. 

Next to Seungcheol, Mingyu’s talking about his day as he picks out a menu. 

Mingyu can talk on and on about anything, keeping the atmosphere light and cheery with anecdotes of his daily life. He’s in the middle of telling Seungcheol about the tenth time he broke the photocopy machine in his office, when two familiar silhouettes enter the restaurant. 

It’s that boy again, partially hidden behind his friend, who’s waving at Wonwoo like a madman. The pair make their way to their table, as Wonwoo stands up to greet them with a cheerful smile. 

“Guys, this is Soonyoung.” Wonwoo nervously introduces the guy wearing a tiger-striped cap to Mingyu and Seungcheol, as if he’s bringing home a partner to his parents. 

“I know you!” Soonyoung exclaims, pointing at Seungcheol. His friend, who’s hiding behind him, makes a disgruntled noise, and Seungcheol already knows who it is. 

Still, Seungcheol blinks in confusion at Soonyoung’s actions, trying to recall where he’d seen him. He’d bumped into Soonyoung’s friend too many times for it to be coincidental. Maybe Soonyoung’s shy friend had told him about Seungcheol…?

“You’re karaoke king at 247!” Soonyoung continues excitedly, like he’s meeting a famous person. “My best friend Hoonie was karaoke king sixteen times before you broke his streak.” He pulls Jihoon up to stand next to him, indirectly introducing his best friend to the group. The boy ducks his head down, as if bowing to them in respect, which is oddly formal for a somewhat casual setup in a fried chicken restaurant; but clearly he's embarrassed by Soonyoung rambunctious introduction. 

Seungcheol stares at the boy, seeing him in a new light. Only then he realises why the boy had been so hostile towards him, even though it seems like a petty worry. Seungcheol had won the karaoke king title fair and square that night, and it’s not his fault for breaking Jihoon’s winning streak. Jihoon should’ve been there to defend his title, but he wasn’t. Seungcheol had sang his heart out, and deservedly won, because everyone else hadn’t been half as impressive as Seungcheol’s raw vocals, belting out the most heart-wrenching ballad that pulled at everyone’s heartstrings. 

It eases him slightly, finally knowing the reason Jihoon’s so mad at him. Part of him wants to console Jihoon about it, that it’s nothing; but truthfully, he finds it unreasonable for Jihoon to hold a grudge against him, especially when they hadn’t even been introduced properly until now. 

“Hello, Hoonie. I’m Mingyu.” Mingyu smiles charmingly at the boy, which makes Seungcheol slightly irritated. Is he trying to hit on Jihoon?

“It’s Jihoon.” The boy mumbles, uncomfortable under all the attention. He’s desperately trying to avoid Seungcheol’s eyes, staring at the wall instead. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Jihoon.” Wonwoo gives him a cordial smile, as he drags a chair out for Soonyoung, forgetting to introduce Seungcheol. “Have a seat, guys.” 

Soonyoung slides into the chair next to Wonwoo, sitting across Mingyu. Jihoon chooses to sit at the furthest end of the table beside Soonyoung, hoping that it’s far enough from Choi Seungcheol. 

Jihoon should’ve known the second Soonyoung mentioned going out for dinner with Wonwoo’s friend. Granted, he didn’t know who Wonwoo was until they’d stepped into the restaurant two seconds ago, and now here he is, having dinner with the person he loathes the most, Choi freaking Seungcheol. He musters all his energy into ignoring Choi Seungcheol, which should be possible with the giant human sitting across Soonyoung, who's blathering non-stop about the weather - his impressively tall stature would be useful to block out Choi Seungcheol from the other end of the table. 

This is the second time in two weeks that he’d been at Seventeen Fried Chicken - the last time was with Seokmin, which inadvertently turned into spying on Soonyoung, who had also been with Wonwoo that time. Fried chicken is nice, of course. But to frequent the same place with the same date, twice in a row, is a bit much, because it’s not the only restaurant on the high street. 

Dammit, Kwon, have some class! Jihoon silently berates his best friend. Soonyoung could’ve asked Wonwoo to take him to a barbecue restaurant instead, which would offer a wider range of delicious food, despite being a bit pricey. Why date someone older and financially stable than you, if you’re not going to let them spoil you with good food? 

But Soonyoung’s brain works in mysterious ways that should be investigated on Buzzfeed Unsolved. He’s got his own way of rating restaurants, and that’s based on their kimchi. He’d declared Seventeen Fried Chicken as his favourite restaurant, and it doesn’t even serve kimchi, keeping in line with its western-inspired fried chicken dishes - which doesn’t make any sense to Jihoon, but it’ll take a very patient psychologist (Seokmin) to pick at Soonyoung’s brain. 

Jihoon goes with his usual order of fried chicken with spring onions, while Soonyoung asks for extra snow (cheese) on his snowing chicken. Cola isn't to be missed, and they order enough of the carbonated beverage to enjoy with their meal. 

“I wish they had kimchi here.” Soonyoung sighs, handing the menu back to their waiter.

“It would be interesting to eat fried chicken with kimchi.” Mingyu humors him. As a certified foodie, he’s already thinking about the fusion of flavours - east meets west in an atypical culinary combination. Fried chicken, even Korean style is typically enjoyed without the usual side dishes, including kimchi, but Soonyoung’s love for kimchi encompasses societal food expectations. He’d eat kimchi with anything, if he has it on hand. In fact, he keeps a huge jar of it in his dorm room, which is why his room smells like kimchi all the time. 

“I do it at home.” Soonyoung reveals, which piques Mingyu’s interest. “Like, I eat kimchi with almost everything.”

“Next time we can go somewhere where they have kimchi, then.” Wonwoo says, but Mingyu suddenly interrupts him, pleased to meet a kimchi lover. 

“I think you’ll love my mum’s kimchi recipe!” Mingyu goes on to tell Soonyoung about it - all the ingredients and measurements and such. Jihoon notices a lady sitting at the next table listening in and taking notes, probably hoping to make her own kimchi using Mingyu’s mum’s recipe. 

Soonyoung can’t quite grasp the recipe with only his basic cooking skills, but nevertheless Mingyu’s fanciful description makes him crave for kimchi at that moment. He's practically salivating, thinking about how Mingyu's kimchi recipe would taste like -

“Maybe I’ll make it for you one day.” Mingyu leans back in his seat with a smile, finding Soonyoung’s wondrous smile adorable.

“I can make kimchi for you, too, if you want.” Wonwoo interjects, fighting for Soonyoung’s attention. What had happened to Mingyu’s promise of being the perfect wingman this evening? He's talking to Soonyoung as if Wonwoo doesn't exist, and it's getting on Wonwoo's nerves. 

To which Mingyu laughs loudly, as if Wonwoo had been joking. “You wouldn’t want Wonwoo to cook for you. He’s terrible in the kitchen.”

Soonyoung glances at Wonwoo, then turns back to Mingyu with a playful glint in his eyes. “Tell me about it.”

Without hesitation, Mingyu tells Soonyoung the unabridged tales of Wonwoo’s disastrous attempts at cooking, which amuses Soonyoung to no end. Wonwoo’s annoyed about it, of course, since he can’t get a word in between to talk to Soonyoung, and he looks like he’s going to punch Mingyu for stealing his thunder. What was that promise about being a wingman earlier...? All but forgotten, it seems. 

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Jihoon wonders why he’s there, remembering that Soonyoung had purposefully dragged him along because he’s ‘shy’. Well, shy Soonyoung is getting on well with Mingyu like a house on fire, whose presence commands attention from everyone within a ten metre radius. He easily tunes out of the conversation, completely focusing on his food when it arrives. Soonyoung tries to include him, but he only spares minimal attention to their dinner chatter. 

Mingyu’s moderating the flow of the conversation, managing to talk and eat at the same time. Somehow, Seungcheol and Wonwoo branch off into their own little debate about something grown-up, leaving Mingyu and Soonyoung with Jihoon on the fray. The conversation turns to photography at one point, and Mingyu now has his phone out, showing Soonyoung aesthetic pictures he’d uploaded onto his Instagram. 

Soonyoung reacts appropriately as they flick through the pictures, nodding or letting out little gasps of awe as Mingyu watches him with a tiny smile on his lips. Wonwoo’s hassled at the extra attention Mingyu is giving Soonyoung, but he can’t jump in and intercept, because his phone rings. He excuses himself to accept the call, and his eyebrows instantly knit into a frown. 

Soonyoung’s too hooked looking at Mingyu’s pictures to notice that Wonwoo’s pacing around near the kitchen doors. On the other hand, Jihoon senses that something’s up when he notices Seungcheol throwing worried glances at his bespectacled friend. 

Wonwoo returns to the table shortly, looking regretful. “I have to go. Emergency at the office.”

“At 8pm?” Mingyu asks incredulously. “Bro, you can’t go.”

Soonyoung looks up at Wonwoo innocently, confused at what’s happening. But Wonwoo doesn’t even look at him, avoiding his gaze. 

“I- I’ll text you, Soonyoung.” Wonwoo grabs his overcoat and hurries out of the restaurant without looking back. 

“That sucks.” Soonyoung’s shoulders are slumped, and he pushes his plate away. His appetite is gone (even though he'd finished his meal), and he feels regretful for barely speaking to Wonwoo. “Did he really have to leave?”

“It might be an emergency. But I’m sure he’ll text you soon.” Mingyu tries to reassure Soonyoung, giving him a pitying smile. “His work is really crazy.”

Soonyoung’s eyes widen. “Is he a spy?”

His sudden speculation makes Mingyu burst into laughter, which puzzles Seungcheol and Jihoon, who aren’t following their conversation. Neither Mingyu nor Soonyoung offer an explanation, so they go back to their own business - Jihoon chomping on his fried chicken, while Seungcheol absently scrolls through his phone, throwing discreet glances at the boy sitting at the opposite end of the table next to Soonyoung. Mingyu’s practically like a wall between them, so he can’t even talk to Jihoon if he wants to.

Mingyu flicks through his phone, searching for one specific picture, before thrusting the screen into Soonyoung’s face. “Does he look like a spy?”

It’s a picture of a younger Wonwoo, dressed in an autumn coat, sitting on a bench as he looks out to the river. 

Soonyoung smiles to himself, his face getting warm. “He looks very handsome.” 

“I took this one near the river.” Mingyu says.

“Ooh.” 

“It looks better at night.” Mingyu goes through his picture album and selects another photo of the same scenery, but sans Wonwoo and at night. Soonyoung gapes at how magical it looks: artificial lights of the city against the dark sky, made abstract with a filter - and he can’t deny that Mingyu is an excellent photographer, even on his phone. 

Mingyu checks his watch. “We could go right now. It’s perfect timing.” 

Soonyoung glances at Jihoon, who’s silently finishing his food, completely ignoring his surroundings. He’s hesitant to leave Jihoon, but he'd finished eating the second Wonwoo had left. He licks a dollop of mashed potatoes from his plate, before he agrees to Mingyu’s impulsive suggestion. 

Grinning, Mingyu stands up in a rush, clumsily knocking his chair over. The loud noise grabs everyone’s attention, and Mingyu bows apologetically. 

“Where are you going?” Seungcheol asks apprehensively. He’d been watching Mingyu enthuse about everything with Soonyoung all evening, which hadn’t been tasteful of him - Wonwoo had been the one to invite Soonyoung (and Jihoon) out for dinner. 

He’s not sure if it’s Mingyu being his overly friendly self, or he’s really trying to hit on Soonyoung, who’s admittedly an adorable college kid. 

Mingyu gives him a rushed, warbled explanation that he barely understands, something about photography and night and river and Soonyoung. Seungcheol’s already got a blunt argument at the tip of his tongue -  _ Wonwoo won't like this _ \- but the next thing he knows, Mingyu’s gone with Soonyoung in a cloud of excited chatter, managing to step on someone’s foot at the entrance. 

And then there’s two. 

Seungcheol looks at Jihoon, who’s wearing a betrayed expression on his face - disbelieving that Soonyoung had just upped and left him there. He could emphatise with Jihoon: this wasn’t in the plan. He could feel that Jihoon’s there to support Soonyoung, the same way Seungcheol had cleared his evening to help Wonwoo. Now there’s no reason for the both of them to be there, since Wonwoo had left for work matters, while Soonyoung had skipped off with Mingyu, the last minute dinner crasher. 

Seungcheol knows that Mingyu probably wouldn’t return to the restaurant, because once Mingyu gets into his photography mood, he’ll be unstoppable, going around the city until he gets the perfect shot. So Seungcheol gets ready to leave, resentful that his friends have left him to settle the bill. 

He glances at Jihoon, who’s chugging his cola down. 

The stars in the sky have aligned once more, allowing him to speak to Jihoon - hopefully properly, this time. He scoots a couple of seats over so that he’s sitting right across the boy. “Are you going to stay here?”

Jihoon’s startled, and he mechanically looks at Seungcheol. He looks uneasy, but Seungcheol continues. “Mingyu’s not going to come back. You can stay here and maybe wait for your friend, if you want.” 

Jihoon has no reason to sit alone at the restaurant, since he’s already done with his meal. His dinky dorm room is calling, for a nice daydream -about Choi Seungcheol-, so he might as well leave - 

So he stands up at the exact moment Seungcheol does, which he finds annoying; though Seungcheol cracks a smile at their little jinx. He doesn’t say anything about it; going straight to the cashier to pay. Realising what Seungcheol’s about to do, Jihoon hurries after him, pulling out his own wallet. He’d withdrawn enough cash to last the week, but now he’ll have to pay for Soonyoung’s dinner as well -

“It’s on me. I’m paying for everyone.” Seungcheol says, already slotting his credit card into the machine. 

Jihoon stuffs his wallet back into his pocket. If he’s paying for the table, it’s fine, because Jihoon wouldn’t feel awkward having some stranger pay for his food. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Seungcheol grins at Jihoon, who averts his gaze. He finishes up the transaction, pocketing the receipt that the machine spits out - he’s definitely going to claim his money back from his betraying friends. Thanking the server at the counter, he exits the restaurant, aware that Jihoon is tailing closely behind him. 

The night is cool and balmy, and still young. People are milling around the streets, looking for a post-dinner snack, or heading over to the bars for happy hour.

Seungcheol doesn’t feel like going home yet, and he might not get the opportunity to hang out with Jihoon ever again. 

“Are you going home?”

Jihoon blinks at Seungcheol, as if he’s asking the most obvious question on the face of the planet. Where else would Jihoon go? He’s a homebody, and he’s not a fan of being out and about. The only other place apart from his bed that he can tolerate is the karaoke bar, but he’s not planning on paying a visit on the pretense of saving money. 

“Fancy a drink?”

Jihoon shakes his head. “I don’t drink.” He gets drunk too easily with his incredibly low alcohol tolerance; his skin flushes like mad and it gets all scratchy and itchy - Choi Seungcheol doesn’t need to see him like that. And what is he thinking, asking Jihoon to hang out after that incredibly awkward dinner where they barely even spoke, sitting on opposite ends of the table?

He likes that Choi Seungcheol is making an effort, and he likes that he’s getting attention. But he can’t help but feel sceptical about the whole thing - Wonwoo disappearing off early, Soonyoung leaving with another man that’s not his date to the most romantic spot in the city. And now Choi Seungcheol is asking him if he wants to go drinking, which is mostly code for  _ i wanna get to know you better, let's get drunk and tell each other our secrets. _ He’d learnt that in his first year of uni - and now he’s stuck with Soonyoung, who now knows all of his deepest, darkest secrets. 

He does regret turning Seungcheol down, though. All the what-ifs are already flooding his mind - getting drunk with Choi Seungcheol, telling him about the time in fifth grade when he’d sent a valentine to someone older, and had gotten rejected, just because he seemed like ‘a cute little brother’. And Jihoon knows that if he gets drunk, he won’t be accountable for his actions - what if he suddenly throws himself at Seungcheol, propositioning him to come back to his tiny room for some passionate sex? 

“Shame.” Choi Seungcheol looks regretful, himself; which makes Jihoon try to dissect his response, using the fancy psychoanalysis techniques Seokmin had once told him about. But before Jihoon can get very far, Seungcheol brightens up immediately with a different idea: “What about karaoke, then?”

What’s with Choi Seungcheol being all friendly towards Jihoon? Why couldn’t they just up and leave each other on the street, like the strangers they are?

But the karaoke invitation is seriously tempting Jihoon. He’d been longing to return to 247 Karaoke and spend hours singing to all the songs in the whole karaoke book, if he could. Choi Seungcheol had struck the correct note there, asking him to join for karaoke - and if what Junhui had said about the new karaoke king perks is true, it’ll be for free, which makes it even better. 

He can already imagine the cramped karaoke booth, their faces illuminated only by the light from the screen. They’ll sing sappy romantic songs to each other, before ending the night with a harmonising duet; inching closer and closer until their bodies meet and their lips touch -

He could feel the heat rising up to his face, and he clenches his fists, trying to get rid of the sexually frustrating image contaminating his mind. The person of his dreams is standing right in front of him, waiting for an answer, and he still has time to think about ways to seduce Seungcheol, even though he’s established that he completely hates the guy?

“I guess that’s a no.” Seungcheol says, and Jihoon’s fragile little heart falls onto the asphalt ground, smashing into a million tiny pieces. 

Jihoon had waited too long to reply, so Seungcheol had gathered his own conclusion based on the boy’s body language. He’s tensing up, balling his hands into fists, as his face turns red - he looks like he’s going to explode at the idea of singing karaoke with Seungcheol, the person who had ended his legendary karaoke king streak. 

Maybe being amicable is completely out of the books for both of them. Seungcheol had tried so many times, and failed spectacularly. He doesn’t know if it’s worth trying, to get to know Jihoon better, given their rough start; and it seems like he can’t get through to Jihoon, no matter what. 

“I think I’ll go, then.” Seungcheol pulls his coat on. “Nice meeting you.”

Jihoon could only watch Seungcheol walk away from him, feeling an odd mixture of happiness and sadness welling in his chest. He can’t quite express it, hoping to ignore it instead - maybe it’ll go away if he ignores it long enough. 

Fuck feelings. 

* * *

Soonyoung marvels at his luck. How did he end up with another handsome man, when the handsome man he’d been on a double date(?) with had left him for some work emergency? Mingyu is godsent, keeping Soonyoung entertained with endless random anecdotes that makes Soonyoung feel like he’d known Mingyu for years, even though this is their first time meeting. 

They’re down by the river; at the exact spot where Mingyu had taken the pictures he'd shown Soonyoung earlier. He'd offered to snap a couple of shots of Soonyoung with the spectacular city skyline as a backdrop, lights twinkling like stars hidden by the dark clouds hanging in the night sky. They'd spent some time on that, Soonyoung posing around exaggeratedly as Mingyu tests all angles for the perfect shot. Once he'd gotten it, he'd encouraged Soonyoung to upload the photo, which Soonyoung promptly did. 

He doesn’t linger around on his social media page to stare at the number of likes to rise, promptly flicking back to look at the picture Mingyu had taken. How did Mingyu manage to make him look taller? Mingyu had even managed to play around with the lighting so that the bold tiger pattern on Soonyoung’s cap pops up against the dark background. Rather than just a picture, it’s art. Soonyoung feels like a top model, and he grins at Mingyu, who seems proud of his work. 

He’s got questions for Mingyu at the tip of his tongue, but the warm smile on Mingyu’s face stops him - he’s going to ruin the moment if he opens his mouth to say something out of place. So he keeps quiet, letting Mingyu keep the secrets of his perfect photography. A message notification pops onto his phone screen, but it’s just Jihoon, so Soonyoung ignores it, slipping his phone back into his pocket. 

“Amazing, right?” 

Soonyoung nods, grinning back. 

“Let’s take a walk.” Mingyu gestures towards the path, letting Soonyoung take the lead. He joins by Soonyoung’s side, gazing towards the dark waters of the river nearby, looking so much like the second lead of a popular romantic drama in his long, expensive-looking coat; that it makes Soonyoung titter with glee. 

A walk down the path by the river at night sounds even more romantic than it should be. Around them are couples clinging to each other, enjoying each other’s company, as a gentle breeze sweeps over the riverside. Soonyoung finds himself sticking closer to Mingyu’s side as they walk in silence, their hands brushing against each other’s every now and then, just waiting for one of them to initiate the hand-holding. It's like a weird second date after his first (failed) date of the evening, and things can't get any better than this.

As the night goes on, Soonyoung finds Mingyu being genuine, in both his actions and words. He keeps asking questions about Soonyoung’s life, which Soonyoung happily answers. Their chemistry is amazing, as explosive as sodium metal reacting with water at room temperature. 

But Soonyoung can’t help but compare Mingyu to Wonwoo, who’d been the first one to grab his attention. Wonwoo’s more affectionate in his actions; reliable and mature, and an excellent listener. On the contrary, Mingyu’s more talkative and carefree, playing along easily with Soonyoung's silly jokes. If Wonwoo fits the  **daddy** title with his sophisticated air, then Mingyu's a giant puppy, all fun and adorably clumsy, tripping over nothing. 

Two men, with distinctly different personalities, but both of them make Soonyoung walk with a spring in his step; heart zooming faster than a rocket at how much attention and affection he's getting - 

This is exactly what Jihoon had meant that one time - Soonyoung's simply prone to fall in love in the blink of an eye. And he's got himself in a bind this time, falling for two people at once. 

He looks up at the tall man walking next to him, marvelling at how sharp Mingyu's angled jawline looks, accentuated by the lowlight - 

"Let's get ice-cream." Mingyu suggests, out of the blue, pointing over to the row of street vendors nearby. A sweet treat is what Soonyoung needs to boost his blood sugar and keep his energy up, and he can never say no to ice-cream; so of course he agrees. 

Mingyu orders - two classic chocolate cones for both of them. He nearly drops the cones as the vendor hands it over, which alarms Soonyoung, but he manages to grasp onto the wafer cone before it hits the ground. 

"For you." He smiles toothily, giving Soonyoung the ice-cream cone. 

Soonyoung finds Mingyu’s klutziness somewhat charming, though he wonders if Mingyu would've had to buy another cone if he’d actually dropped it. 

Mingyu gets his ice-cream from the vendor - taking care not to drop it this time - and he pays with a generous tip.

Meanwhile, Soonyoung’s drifted over to a nearby bench, fully enjoying his dessert. It’s milky and chocolaty and not disgustingly sweet; while the wafer cone has a nutty crunch to it. It’s one of the best ice-cream cones he’d had in a while.

Plopping onto the space next to Soonyoung, Mingyu lets out a big sigh. “I can’t believe I almost dropped your ice-cream.”

“But you didn’t, and you caught it.” Soonyoung reassures, licking his ice-cream. Mingyu had surprisingly quick reflexes for a tall man, and he’s impressed. 

“It’s from years of practice from dropping too many things.” Mingyu laughs it off. “I’m a walking disaster. Somehow I always manage to destroy anything I touch.”

“Mm.” Soonyoung’s not quite sure how to respond to that, and he’s too busy enjoying his ice-cream. The best part? It’s free. 

What sweeter way can it be, having some nice ice-cream with a financially stable, handsome man by the river, also known as one of the most romantic spots in the city? He’s aware that Mingyu’s stealing glances at him, though he suspects that Mingyu’s probably going to ask if he’s going to finish his dessert. Well, Soonyoung fully intends to do so, and he puts on his most innocent face as he begins munching on the sweet wafer cone. 

"You've got a moustache." Mingyu says, not realising that he's got a chocolate beard on his chin. His observation, tied with the irony of the situation, makes Soonyoung laugh his heart out. 

"You've got a beard, yourself." Soonyoung giggles. Mingyu touches his chin, staining the tips of his fingers with the chocolaty concoction.

"Could you hold this for me?" Mingyu gives Soonyoung his ice-cream cone, as he fishes for something inside his trousers pocket. "Don't eat it." He warns, just as Soonyoung attempts a cheeky lick off Mingyu's cone. 

Soonyoung laughs, amazed at how Mingyu could've predicted what he was about to do. Meanwhile, Mingyu pulls out a handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wipes the ice-cream off his own chin. 

"Let me help you." Mingyu slides closer towards Soonyoung to wipe his chocolate moustache away. He cups Soonyoung's cheek with one hand, gently dabbing Soonyoung's upper lip with the thin tissue. 

The warmth of Mingyu's warm hand on his face makes Soonyoung feel like melting, mirroring the semi-solid ice-cream sitting on cones in his hands, as the microseconds pass. It's a fleeting moment, but it seems longer than it seems, when Soonyoung accidentally locks his gaze onto Mingyu's dark chocolate eyes, and at that point, the world around them comes to a standstill. 

There's something in Mingyu's eyes that Soonyoung can't decipher, because his brain has been reduced to fluff thanks to the heart-fluttering attention Mingyu's been giving him all evening.

And for a split second, Soonyoung thinks that Mingyu's about to lean in and kiss him…

But Mingyu snaps out of it almost instantly, trying to be all blasé about it with a breezy - albeit shaky - laugh. He's out of Soonyoung's personal space in a flash, crumpling up the tissue he'd used to wipe Soonyoung's face.

"We're so messy." Mingyu jokes, hoping to keep the atmosphere light. Gone is the intense look in his eyes, replaced with a playful glint instead. 

Soonyoung manages a thin smile to mask his disappointment as he gives Mingyu his ice-cream back. They sit there, finishing up their dessert amidst a couple of casual questions from Mingyu. But things aren’t quite the same - there’s some unresolved tension in the air that neither of them want to address. 

"I should get you home. Wonwoo would want to know that you're okay." Mingyu declares, when they finish eating. 

Soonyoung has forgotten about Wonwoo, until Mingyu mentions his name. There’s a pang in his chest, remembering the handsome, bespectacled man and his quiet, caring actions - 

But there’s Mingyu, who’d brought him here to the most romantic spot in the city... 

Soonyoung suddenly feels drained, because he doesn’t know what to do. 

To him, home sounds fine right now - where he could hide under his covers and figure out where his heart lies. 

* * *

It's Monday afternoon, and almost lunchtime. The university campus is bustling with students rushing to classes, bogged down by Monday blues. The weekend hadn't been enough to party or study, depending on each person’s perspective on their GPA. Jihoon’s part of the latter, being a sponsored scholar - though he knows how to manage his time between work and play and daydreaming about the hot older guy who’d invited him out drinking after an incredibly awkward dinner - 

He’s sitting under a tree, singing like he’s a villager from that new Animal Crossing game that he can’t afford to play; ignoring people whispering about him as they pass by. Since he can’t get his usual karaoke room fix, this is how he’s going to overcome it - by singing his favourite songs under the old cherry blossom tree that’s currently out of season. And it’s free of charge, which means that he would have enough money for lunch with Seokmin later. 

Some random guy approaches Jihoon. “Do you want to try out for the choir club, freshman?”

Jihoon gives the kid an annoyed look. He’s not a freshman, and he doesn’t have the time for organized clubs. The kid stalks away, intimidated by that one sharp glance. As soon as the kid disappears from Jihoon’s sight, he continues singing, trying to distract himself. 

It’s been a couple of days since that disastrous double date (if you could call it one) at Seventeen Fried Chicken. Jihoon hasn’t seen Soonyoung, only glimpsing him floating down the hallways in between classes. Speaking to Soonyoung would be out of the question, since he seems dazed most of the time, and Jihoon suspects that the Mingyu dude has turned Soonyoung into a druggie. He wonders if he should be worried, but he’s already worried about himself. 

What's-his-face Choi freaking Seungcheol has appeared in his dreams for three consecutive nights (and naps in between) and Jihoon needs professional help to analyse and break down his horny, messed-up thoughts. 

Which is why he’d called Seokmin up, promising to meet him during lunch hour at this spot. Jihoon only had an early class that morning, with hours to spare for the next one, so instead of bunking down with his books to twist his brain around big engineering terms and concepts, he’s been sitting here under the tree, just singing. It’s relaxing, distracting him from his tumultuous thoughts. His throat is almost raw from singing too many songs at the top of his lungs, but he can go on until the evening if he wants to. This is him trying to overcome his unnecessary need to go to the karaoke bar - and this is miles better. No need for payment, and he could sing any song he pleases, including kids’ songs about three little bears… 

He thinks of what to sing next, and he picks the most soulful, heart-rendering ballad he could sing, playing around with his falsettos for fun. And as the sun peeps out on a rare late autumn day, everyone seems to gravitate towards the open space with their books and sandwiches. They all seem to follow in Jihoon’s footsteps, chilling on the grass, when on any other day no one ever steps on the lawn. 

A passer-by throws a coin at Jihoon's feet, so picks it up and pockets the loose change. Maybe he should give up uni and start busking everywhere to earn his keep, so he can have enough to buy his own cola from the convenience store. He continues singing, allowing himself to immerse himself into the deep emotions of the heart wrenching lyrics he's belting out for the whole uni to hear. 

A couple of students sit down a bit too close for his liking, pulling out their books to study on the lawn. He stops singing abruptly, frowning a bit at them to express his dissatisfaction. They ignore him, of course, immersed in their stack of class notes to detect his irritation. So Jihoon faces another direction so he doesn't have to look at them, easily picking up from the high note he'd cut off earlier - 

He gets lost in his singing, almost forgetting that he’s supposed to be meeting Seokmin, until Seokmin himself sits next to him.

“I thought I could hear you singing from the fourth floor.” Seokmin quips, handing Jihoon a piece of triangle kimbap, which Jihoon accepts gratefully. “And someone already posted a video of you on the uni confessions page.”

Jihoon doesn’t care about the video - unless it’s something incriminating. “What’s it about?” 

(Well, he has been getting up to certain naughty things in his room, due to a certain someone who has been infiltrating his mind non-stop since the past month). 

“You. Singing.” Seokmin grins. He unwraps his kimbap and takes a big bite out of it. 

“Oh.” Screw it, Jihoon doesn't care. A video like that would tide over when a scandal about the resident college couple breaks out, which happens every other day. That’s the least of his worries, because he’s got bigger things on his mind. 

Even though Seokmin is one of his closest friends (the other one being Soonyoung, who’s got loose lips, spreading gossip like a contagious virus), Jihoon feels hesitant to confide. He’s so used to keeping his thoughts to himself, having trouble expressing his true emotions, which is why he’s so misunderstood sometimes. The most recent evidence: Choi Seungcheol thinking that Jihoon had been turning him down for that impromptu karaoke invitation, when Jihoon had really, really wanted to go - but his flustered body language said otherwise. 

That, and the fact that he can’t get Choi freaking Seungcheol out of his mind. He wishes forgetting about the man could be as easy as deleting files on a computer; but the human brain obviously works in mysterious, different ways that no one quite understands, except for those consistently striving to learn about the mind and its influence towards human behaviour - so this is where psych major Seokmin plays a major role. 

“I need your help.” Jihoon says in a rush, hoping to get this over with. Even though he deems Seokmin one of his closest friends, he still feels uncomfortable wearing his heart on his sleeve. 

“What’s up?” Seokmin asks with his mouth full. 

Jihoon takes a deep breath. He’d trust Seokmin with his soul, so he can definitely share his worries. Besides, as a psychologist-in-training, he must be bound to his ethics and professionalism about privacy, so Jihoon doesn’t need to worry about Seokmin telling the whole university about his predicament.    
Here goes. 

“What does it mean if someone is attracted to someone they hate?” 

Silence. 

Seokmin’s busy munching on his kimbap, like he didn’t hear Jihoon’s hard-hitting question. 

Jihoon waits, too nervous to poke Seokmin about it. Maybe they wouldn’t have to talk about it if Seokmin doesn’t respond. But his friend looks contemplative, as if he’s trying to find a logical answer to Jihoon’s paradox. 

“Well, there’s probably something about them that they like.” Seokmin finally says. 

“That’s the thing. You can’t possibly like someone you already hate.” Jihoon refutes. As if saying those words out loud could confirm the status of his non-relationship with Choi Seungcheol. Yes, he hates Choi Seungcheol. But the fact that he can’t stop thinking about the man confuses him. Is it some kind of deep seated lustful desire, or simply just abhorrence for someone who proved to be better than him at what he thought was his best skill - karaoke? 

(Correct answer: possibly both.)

“Maybe there’s been a change in preferences? Like you used to hate that one thing, but now you like it.” Seokmin says from his third person perspective. He’d been so busy with classes to catch up with Jihoon, who doesn’t really tell him much. This is the first instance of Jihoon trying to have a heart-to-heart with Seokmin, and as much as he’s excited to help his friend, he’s ravenous, practically shoving food down his throat. 

Jihoon soaks in Seokmin’s wisdom. Admittedly, he’d liked Seungcheol from the get-go - glimpsing his handsome face for at least five seconds, peeping into the karaoke room Jihoon had been in with Soonyoung, who was crooning to his favourite dance song. But that quickly turned to apathy when he’d learned that Choi Seungcheol had been the asshole who had broken his karaoke king streak. That had been inevitable due to midterm exams, and someone else was going to win the crown anyway. But Jihoon had completely lost the plot when Choi Seungcheol had downright ignored him when they'd bumped into each other at the karaoke bar on the night of the end of midterms week, even though they’d been strangers at the time. 

Why?

He won’t answer that, because it would mean that he would have to admit his true feelings out loud, and he’d rather keep that a secret. 

“We’re talking about a person, right?” Seokmin asks, just to be sure. 

Jihoon avoids Seokmin’s glance, scared that he might find out about the truth. 

“You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.” Seokmin offers his pinky as a pledge of promise. He knows that Jihoon doesn’t easily express his emotions; this is definitely a first. Underneath that calm exterior, Seokmin can tell that there’s a mixture of feelings bubbling in Jihoon’s heart. “Especially Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung is the last person Jihoon would want to confide in - unless he’s lonely and drunk, which after freshman year, will never happen again - so Seokmin has won his trust with that assurance. Exhaling deeply, he cast his gaze towards the ground, fiddling with the grass as he figures out a way to tell the whole story to Seokmin, who’s watching him with kind, patient eyes. 

He starts from the very beginning, that very first encounter at 247 Karaoke when he’d first seen Choi Seungcheol - dissociating the thirst that had overcome him back then, trying to protect Seokmin’s pure, innocent soul. But once he starts sharing, he begins telling Seokmin all the minor details, including the lewd ones - how he’d jacked off in his room thinking about Choi Seungcheol, which led to his midnight laundry run, where he’d bumped into the real Choi Seungcheol, still lusting over him. And from that episode, he skips over to the double ‘date’ at Seventeen Fried Chicken a couple of nights ago, outlining how incredibly friendly Choi Seungcheol had been at the end of the night, when everyone had left. 

“You turned him down a lot.” Seokmin is shocked to the core, trying to rid himself of the mental image of his friend jacking off to an older man he barely knows. He needs to keep his stance neutral, and understand everything with a clear mind. 

Jihoon crosses his arms. “Because I don’t want to encourage his behaviour.” 

“And why so?”

“I hate him, but I can’t stop thinking about him.” Jihoon concludes after that long, winding anecdote. He feels relieved, letting the weight of his secret off his chest; but he doesn’t dare to look at Seokmin, who’s probably emotionally scarred by his promiscuity. 

“Like how?” Seokmin prompts, as patient as ever. His face gives nothing away, the epitome of professionalism. 

“I want him. Top or bottom, I don’t care.” There’s a wild look in Jihoon’s eyes as he speaks out. 

“Oh. That’s a bit… TMI.” Seokmin shrinks away, unprepared for that fact. He clears his throat, suddenly feeling parched. Jihoon’s story had been a bit saucy for him, though it’s an interesting study of the human psyche - the mind contradicting itself, combined with a curious amalgam of emotions, factors of which would determine the next course of action. 

And Seokmin is intrigued to see what Jihoon will pursue. “So what are you going to do?” 

“I just want to prove that I’m not in… love… with that guy.” Even saying the L word is a struggle for Jihoon. “People can have sex without feelings, right?” 

“You say you hate him.” Seokmin points out. 

Jihoon nods fervently. “Because of the things he did to me, yes.” 

“Hate is a strong feeling.” Seokmin treads carefully, wondering how he could explore Jihoon’s extraordinary case deeper; especially that he knows that Jihoon’s still holding something back. It’s all a bit of a mess, and a bit difficult to wrap his head around - Jihoon had dropped a complete bomb upon him without any warning. 

“Get on with it, Mr Lee.” Jihoon says impatiently. He needs psychologist-in-training Seokmin to justify his feral need to bone Choi Seungcheol on a scientific basis. 

“I’m not saying that you can’t do it. But shouldn’t… doing It be enjoyable, with someone you like?” Seokmin asks. He doesn't quite see why Jihoon hates Choi Seungcheol, though his sexual need is understandable, because the man is a total hottie. 

Jihoon turns red, still in denial. Isn’t it clear that Jihoon doesn’t L-word Choi Seungcheol? He wouldn’t hesitate to pound Choi Seungcheol into a pulp with his recent gym training… but he wouldn’t mind Choi Seungcheol pounding his backside, in a sexually heated moment that has the lowest chances of ever happening. “It’s either sex, or me in a fistfight with him. But he’s a big guy, so I don’t think I can take him down.” Jihoon remembers how huge Seungcheol’s biceps are. Imagine being choked by those big, strong muscles....kinky. 

“So you’d rather sleep with him.” Seokmin is still aghast by the idea, but he’s trying to be as supportive as possible. Yet he doesn’t want Jihoon to do dumb things, driven by his sexual desire over a man he barely knows and claims to hate - which Seokmin doesn’t quite believe. 

“How else am I going to forget about him?” Jihoon’s frustrated. “You always say that thing when you shop online -”

Seokmin freezes, a chill running down his spine. He’s guilty of being an online shopaholic - everything that he likes, he adds it to his cart. He’d only check out the items once he’d slept on his decision, chucking out random items that he’d put in just for fun, and keeping those he’d genuinely liked, gleefully paying for his purchases. When Jihoon had raised a judging eyebrow at the state of his room, which was filled with boxes and quirky knick-knacks that look more like decor rather than functional contraptions, he’d introduced a new motto, reasoning his impulsiveness.

_ If you really want something, sleep on it first. And if you can't stop thinking about it, find a way to get it.  _

His shopping principle has come to nip him in the bud, as Jihoon quotes it verbatim. 

“So you see where I’m coming from.” Jihoon says, with an air of finality. 

Silence. Jihoon waits for Seokmin to respond, who is at a loss of words. 

Jihoon had taken his own words out of his mouth, putting his own twist on it - rather than sleeping on his decision, he’s going to sleep with it, literally.. 

Seokmin’s got his own hypothesis - maybe Choi Seungcheol wants to be friendly, but he hasn’t seen enough interactions between them to gauge the tension in their relationship as Jihoon had claimed. Everything is just speculation for him, and it’s all a bit too complicated for him to dissect within ten minutes. Jihoon and _feelings_ never existed in the same sentence, but now that it does, Seokmin finds it quite overwhelming.

“Fighting.” Seokmin says weakly. He can’t deal with horny Jihoon on his own, and he knows that once Jihoon makes up his mind, there’s no changing it. “Stay safe.” 

Jihoon looks triumphant, leaning back against the tree that they’re sitting under. He doesn't know how he's going to ask for sex from Choi Seungcheol, or if Choi Seungcheol would ever consent to it. It's a bit of a reach for him, just a dream that will never come true. But hey, he can dream, and that's probably what he'll end up doing, anyway; destined to spend the rest of his uni days cumming onto his sheets thinking about Choi Seungcheol until he graduates. He's never even had a cordial conversation with Choi Seungcheol, so what's the possibility for them to end up in bed together? Jihoon would probably have a better chance winning the lottery  **twice** . 

Still, he's glad that he'd gotten everything off his chest, even if Seokmin looks like he's going to run away in disgust after learning of Jihoon's extracurricular activities. Not that there's anything wrong, playing with his own balls. 

He just hopes that the couple sitting nearby haven't been eavesdropping. 

Seokmin looks like he's still got something to say, but no words leave his mouth. 

There's yelling at the edge of the lawn, and everyone turns to look at the commotion. Jihoon freezes when he realises that someone is calling him - 

"Hoonie!" Jihoon can hear Soonyoung before he sees him, running down the lawn with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. "You're famous now!" He tumbles onto the ground, shoving his phone into Jihoon's face. 

"If this is about that video on the confessions page, shut up." Jihoon himself hasn't seen it yet, and he doesn't need that kind of attention. "Where have you been?" 

Soonyoung stops the crappy video playing on his phone, squeezing to sit in the small space between Jihoon and Seokmin. "I've got classes." He replies vaguely; his eyes trailing towards the unopened triangle kimbap in Jihoon's hand. "Are you eating that?" 

Jihoon gives it to Soonyoung, not feeling hungry. He's still riding off the high of sharing his not-crush on Choi Seungcheol with Seokmin, so he's in a chatty mood. "I haven't seen you since you went off with the tall dude the other night."

"Mingyu?" Soonyoung's already bitten a large chunk off the kimbap, his cheeks full of rice. "He's amazing." 

In what sense, Jihoon doesn't ask. "I thought you liked Wonwoo." 

And at the mere mention of Wonwoo's name, Soonyoung flushes. "He's handsome."

Seokmin's out of the loop, of course, so Soonyoung begins telling him a long-winded, unabridged version of  _ his  _ story, of the handsome Wonwoo and amazing Mingyu - sounding like he's torn between the two men. 

Mingyu had taken Soonyoung to a park by the river after dinner at Seventeen Fried Chicken. This is the first time Jihoon has heard of this story, being kept in the dark after the pair had left; and his thoughts clouded by Choi Seungcheol to worry about Soonyoung, who always seems fine with whatever trouble life throws his way. He barely listens to the rest of Soonyoung’s long-winded story, only returning his attention towards his friend when he finishes. 

Apparently Wonwoo texts Soonyoung good morning, and at the end of the day, Mingyu wishes him sweet dreams as he goes to sleep. 

Soonyoung can’t believe that he’s got two grown men fighting for his attention and affection, though he claims that he gives them equal attention. It’s affecting his daily life, having to reply texts from two people while going to marathon lectures; barely able to catch up with his friends until now. 

And the icing on top of the cake? Mingyu had gone out of his way to whip up a batch of kimchi based on his mother's recipe, hand-delivering it to Soonyoung with a heartfelt note and a serving of ramen yesterday. Just like he'd promised. Then this morning Wonwoo sent a package with a silk-screened tiger print shirt inside, accompanied with a message:  _ I’ve got a matching leopard one ;) _

“I think they’re both nice.” Soonyoung feels helpless. Why does he have to be oh so adorable? It’s such a happy worry, to pick between two eligible bachelors who adore him as much as he likes them both -

“Wonwoo was there first.” Jihoon’s biased towards the bespectacled man, the OG jackass who’d asked Soonyoung out before Mingyu came along. 

“I can’t choose between them.” Soonyoung whines, pouting. 

Seokmin interrupts, with a slight tinge of annoyance in his voice. “Then don’t choose.”

"Oh?" Soonyoung looks like he'd been hit with a brick. He turns to look at Seokmin, whose face clearly expresses disappointment. "I think you're onto something." He considers Seokmin’s words. 

“It’s all because of Choi Seungcheol.” Jihoon mutters, crossing his arms. Choi Seungcheol is definitely the root of their problems - it’s his fault for being friends with Wonwoo and Mingyu - though that reasoning doesn’t seem justified, it feels good to have someone to blame. 

"So Wonwoo is friends with Choi Seungcheol?" Seokmin asks for clarification. 

Jihoon flashes Seokmin a warning glare, hearing that name. He'd promised not to tell Soonyoung what they'd talked about earlier, about Choi Seungcheol. He quickly eyeballs Soonyoung to assess his reaction, but seems as clueless as ever. 

"Yep!" Soonyoung replies cheerfully. Jihoon is lucky that Soonyoung's brain is as dense as the kimchi he eats, so he'll never connect the dots on his own. “Oh, which reminds me. Jun from the karaoke bar texted. The monthly karaoke contest is this weekend.”

“We’re going.” Jihoon declares, a fire of determination burning bright in his chest. He’s going to take back his crown and win the free karaoke pass, so he can go there and sing anytime he wants, in the privacy of a room without worry of anyone filming him and posting it on the internet. 

Soonyoung looks excited, while Seokmin hides behind an unnatural, fabricated smile. 

“You’re gonna win, Hoonie. Do you think Choi Seungcheol’s any better than you?” Soonyoung loops an arm around his best friend’s shoulder, but Jihoon quickly ducks to avoid it. 

“Screw him.” Jihoon spits, pushing Soonyoung away. 

Seokmin stifles a laugh, knowing that Jihoon meant that quite literally. 

“Ah, cool. Like that spirit.” Soonyoung grins. He knows that his best friend is feisty, especially when standing up for himself - but he notices that there’s a bit of extra flame in Jihoon’s eyes. He must really hate Choi Seungcheol, Soonyoung thinks. Of course, he’ll side with Jihoon, no matter what, because Jihoon’s his best friend. “It’s going to be awesome, Hoonie, when you become karaoke king again.”

“You know it.” Jihoon looks smug about himself, confidence swelling in his chest. 

He can’t wait for the weekend to come, but it’s only Monday - 

He’s got the feeling that things are about to get a bit... different. 

* * *

Friday night rolls around all too soon, after a whirlwind of a week, and Seungcheol’s ready to wind down by immersing himself in some fictional drama to distract himself from harsh reality.

Instead, he’s out and about, following Wonwoo and Mingyu down the high street, shoving his hands into the front pocket of his warm hoodie. His friends had turned up on his doorstep just as he was just about to curl up in bed with Netflix, persuading him to come to 247 Karaoke for the monthly karaoke competition. 

Seungcheol had completely forgotten about that, his head all wound up with stress from work. While the idea of staying in bed would do wonders for the dull headache at the base of his skull, he can't say no to his friends, who are both uncharacteristically extra enthusiastic, especially quiet Wonwoo. He already knows that they've got their own ulterior motives, because on any given day, they wouldn't give a flying fuck about Seungcheol being karaoke king. 

So here he is, strolling down the streets with his friends, heading straight to the karaoke bar. There's an ominous feeling at the bottom of his gut, which had appeared since he'd stepped out of his bachelor pad. 

What if he runs into Jihoon? He'd surely want to regain the karaoke king title back. With his fiery disposition, Seungcheol thinks that Jihoon seems to know what he wants, and he won't go down without a fight. 

If he's to be honest, he wouldn't mind losing, since it's all for fun. The benefits - his name on the Wall of Fame, sticking out like a sore thumb underneath Jihoon's name, featured multiple times before his; and four hours of free karaoke as long as he has the title - seems a bit trivial for him as a working man. He's got other grown-up things to focus on, like catching up with that new historical drama on Netflix. He would've gotten a kick out of being karaoke king if he's still a student, but those days had passed. 

The streets are packed, of course, as the weekend begins. Seungcheol could just backtrack and slip into the crowd to escape Friday night karaoke, but he doesn't want to let his friends down. He'd noticed an odd, tense air between them, and he suspects that it has something to do with Soonyoung, Jihoon's friend. They'd never told him anything directly, but from the separate, multiple messages he'd gotten from Wonwoo and Mingyu all week, they both had certainly mentioned Soonyoung once too many times. 

It's like watching a drama unfolding via discrete texts, where his two friends are smitten for one quirky college kid who has a pronounced fondness for kimchi and chicken - sounding like a tired plot for a bad story, but he's intrigued to see it play out. 

If Jihoon would be at 247 Karaoke tonight, then so would Soonyoung. And if Wonwoo and Mingyu are really fighting over the kid's attention, Seungcheol figures that he should be there to become a peaceful mediator, just in case things turn a bit weird. 

They finally reach the shoplot that houses 247 Karaoke Bar, its flickering neon sign paled by the bright lights illuminating the street.

Seungcheol exhales, suddenly feeling nervous. He just hopes things will go well this evening, with zero trouble - 

Meanwhile, Jihoon is already upstairs at the front counter of 247 Karaoke with his friends, feeling pumped up after his gym session. He'd spent the past hour at Back It Up Gym, pumping some iron under the watchful eye of gym instructor Dongho. He feels stronger, like he could do pushups with heavyweight Dongho sitting on his back. He's still high on an adrenaline rush, practically bouncing on his feet. He's radiating infectious positive energy, which makes Seokmin and Soonyoung team up and combine their jokester prowess, exchanging puns in the corner. 

The air is filled with so much positivity, and Jihoon soaks it all in, taking a deep breath. Tonight will be the night he retains his truly deserved crown as karaoke king, and make Choi Seungcheol fall at his feet, begging for forgiveness. 

Jihoon could see it, and taste it. Sweet, sweet victory over Choi Seungcheol. 

"Here for the competition?" Junhui's been watching the trio's antics from behind the counter, wishing he could join in with their little inside jokes. 

Jihoon nods confidently. He spies the single odd name on the Wall of Fame, and the fire in his heart burns stronger. Fate or hate, he's going to trump over the asshole who lives in his mind rent free, and kick his fine booty out for once and for all -

“Everyone, sign up. We gotta increase our chances of winning over Choi Seungcheol.” Jihoon says, pulling Seokmin and Soonyoung up to the counter. The pair look confused as Junhui gives them the sign up sheet, which Jihoon snatches from them.

He grabs a pen to scribble his name - the first one on the list, just as he deserves to be. 

“You’re so cute when you’re determined.” Junhui drops an unexpected flirty line as Jihoon writes his name, and he ends up misspelling it. He swears under his breath as he corrects it - he’s already so distracted, but he needs to focus! He adds in Seokmin and Soonyoung’s names as well, wondering why there’s no team karaoke challenge. It could be in a tag-team format, just to mix things up - teams of three taking turns to sing a song. Highest score among the participating teams would win, of course -

Jihoon can imagine himself winning the imaginary team karaoke competition with his friends. He knows he's a certified legend, while Seokmin does theatre as a minor, landing roles in college musicals. Soonyoung can win just by being his weird self, and together, they could be the terrible trio, feared by many as karaoke gods at 247 Karaoke Bar. Maybe he could propose that idea to Junhui after he wins tonight, because of course karaoke is a million times better with friends. 

“I signed you guys up, too.” Jihoon looks proud of himself, handing the sign-up sheet back to Junhui. Soonyoung looks surprised, even though he's the epitome of impulsiveness, prone to do the dumbest things without ever thinking it through.

“Contestants to the party room, please. Competition begins in fifteen minutes.” Junhui instructs, trying to sound professional. Jihoon and his friends know exactly where it is - at the end of the hallway - so that’s where they head to, ready for some good karaoke. The party room at 247 Karaoke is the biggest room in the whole establishment, complete with disco lights, a golden mic stand and surround sound system. It's marked by a door decorated with streamers and a handwritten sign stuck to it:  _ reserved for karaoke competition, sign up at front counter :^) _

Seokmin pushes the door open, but there’s no one inside yet. It's already set up for the contest - one whole wall acts as a screen for the projector; which is already switched on, displaying a bunch of bubbles bouncing around as the karaoke machine idles. On a small platform at the front of the room stands a lone golden microphone for the contestants to sing into, and a bright spotlight shines straight onto it; as tiny lights overhead swathe the rest of the room in ambient lighting, though a couple of them are burnt out. Several couches are set up in a C-shaped formation, opening towards the platform for maximum viewing pleasure, and there are complimentary bottles of water on the little side tables for anyone to quench their thirst should they need it. It’s not as glamorous as other upscale karaoke establishments, but it's still good enough for an amateur competition at a tiny karaoke bar tucked in the collegiate part of the town. 

Jihoon slides onto one of the sofas, and the faux leather crackles under his weight. It's not exactly real leather, and the carpet is a suspicious green colour. The place could certainly do with a renovation to make it look less like a dump, but somehow, Jihoon feels right at home. He's feeling excited, ready to rival Mariah Carey on the stage later. He's going to impress the pants off Choi Seungcheol and retain his karaoke king title at the end of the evening, which should be easy enough to do. 

“I’m nervous. I gotta go pee.” Soonyoung runs out of the room, in search of a toilet, leaving Jihoon and Seokmin alone in the party room. 

It would only be a matter of time before anyone else enters, so Seokmin nudges Jihoon, looking like he’s got something to get off his chest. “Hey, Jihoon, I can trust you with a secret, right?”

“As long as you don’t tell Soonie about that guy.”

“Right.” Seokmin swallows nervously. “It’s weird seeing him constantly talk about those two guys.” As in the two strangers - Wonwoo and Mingyu - trying hard to woo Soonyoung all week, sending him gifts and messages to last a lifetime.

“Soonie’s weird, so he attracts weirdos.” Jihoon says simply. 

Seokmin scrunches his eyebrows. “Am I a weirdo?”

“Nah, you’re practically the kindest person I know.” Jihoon finds it odd for Seokmin to ask such questions - something seems off about naturally sunny Seokmin; his mood seems a bit low, even though he’d been joking around with Soonyoung earlier. 

“Oh. Thanks.” Seokmin looks somewhat disappointed. Jihoon tries to rush him to express his thoughts, but the door swings open, welcoming more guests.

But it’s not just anyone - it’s three people Jihoon expected to see, though now that they’re here in the flesh, gracing the party room with their combined handsomeness, Jihoon suddenly feels intimidated as they file in. 

“There he is. My mortal enemy.” Jihoon whispers, spying that familiar face among the three men. 

Choi Seungcheol. 

Accompanying him are Wonwoo and Mingyu, of course, who are already on the lookout for Soonyoung the second they enter. But Jihoon pays no heed to them, his eyes trailing Choi Seungcheol as he crosses the room towards the sofa opposite Jihoon. He looks insanely good, dressed down for the night in an oversized hoodie and jeans. It would be a treat to cuddle up with him - not that Jihoon’s a fan of cuddles. 

But hell, Jihoon’s wearing a hoodie, too. He’s got half a mind to strip it off, so he wouldn’t look like he’s matching with Choi Seungcheol; but it’s keeping him warm and he feels comfortable. Plus, Jihoon had been here first, wearing his hoodie - if anything, Choi Seungcheol should be the one taking his hoodie off in shame. 

But he doesn’t, looking cocky as reigning karaoke king. It makes Jihoon want to smack him upside down, then make it all better with a kiss. 

The trio settles after their entrance, sitting right across Jihoon and Seokmin. Jihoon’s focus zones right onto Choi Seungcheol's perfect, ethereal presence, gracing the dank karaoke room with his godly beauty. 

Jihoon's face turns red when his eyes accidentally lock with Seungcheol’s. He quickly turns away, pretending to talk to Seokmin as his face heats up. “He’s looking at us.”

“Stop staring, Jihoon.” Seokmin tries to play it cool, unscrewing the cap of his water bottle to take a drink. He's a bit wary about Seungcheol's friends, rather than Seungcheol himself. Even though he'd never been introduced to Mingyu or Wonwoo, he feels like he already knows them through Soonyoung's stories.

“Hello, Jihoon.” Overly friendly Mingyu greets him with a smile and a small wave. “Are you competing tonight?”

“Yes.” Jihoon replies in a strained voice. He doesn’t want to fraternise with the enemy, and Mingyu is associated with the enemy, even though Jihoon knows he's just being nice. 

"Good luck then!" Mingyu's smile never leaves his handsome face, and Jihoon can kind of see why Soonyoung has a hard time choosing between Wonwoo or Mingyu. 

“Why aren’t you wishing me luck?” Seungcheol whines, hitting Mingyu's arm. That surprises Jihoon - how can a handsome grown man like him have such a cute tone like that? It makes his heart bloom like a flower in spring, and the reflex reaction disgusts him. 

“You’ve got enough luck. You’re already the karaoke king.” Mingyu teases his friend. 

“I’m gonna beat you.” Jihoon says loud enough for the trio across them to hear. 

Choi Seungcheol looks intrigued, leaning forward to stare at Jihoon. Even in the lowlight, Jihoon can see the competitive glint in his dark irises. “We’ll see about that.” 

Jihoon blushes.

That was… hot. 

Choi Seungcheol's alpha, competitive side is a major turn on for him, and Jihoon wants to melt into a puddle of Feelings. Unable to think of a witty comeback, he shrinks back into his seat, flustered. His crush(?) on Choi Seungcheol is embarrassingly insufferable at this point, and he's practically overwhelmed at the sudden surge of attraction towards the handsome man in a hoodie sitting across him - 

Jihoon manages a deep breath to calm himself down, reaching for a complimentary bottle of water set on a side table. 

“Am I late?” Right then, Soonyoung enters the party room, sweating and panting. His sudden entrance attracts everyone's attention, especially for Wonwoo and Mingyu.

“Soonyoung!” Mingyu immediately stands up, followed by Wonwoo, who has the biggest dopey grin on his face. Before he can do anything, Soonyoung finds himself sandwiched between the tall men, both of them doting on him like a child, escorting him to an empty sofa in the middle of the room. 

Seeing Soonyoung being swooped away by the two men irritates Jihoon, because Soonyoung is part of  _ his  _ group. He notices Choi Seungcheol sitting alone, and Jihoon feels bad, because his friends have abandoned him for Soonyoung. Next to him, Seokmin lets out a disgruntled noise, holding the same sentiments as Jihoon towards Soonyoung's love triangle. 

It's like a scene out of a drama, with Mingyu and Wonwoo trying to pursue Soonyoung with their own little ways - Mingyu with his saccharine sweet talk, while Wonwoo takes the practical approach to care for Soonyoung's needs, offering him water and snacks. Soonyoung's kind enough to entertain both of them, though he's delightfully flustered at all the attention. 

To Jihoon, Soonyoung’s a traitor  _ and  _ a lost cause. 

The door swings open again, the new arrival being Jihoon’s gym instructor, Dongho. He’s not alone, though, as an androgynous person lurks behind him, looking around warily at the poor state of the karaoke bar.

“Hello, Jihoon.” Dongho greets him with a smile as he steps into the room. 

"Didn't expect to see you here." Jihoon is surprised to see his gym instructor turn up at the karaoke competition, and with a partner, no less.

"Heard there's word on the street that the biggest karaoke showdown." Dongho grins. "I had to check it out for myself." His eyes flick over to Soonyoung, who’s being babied by Mingyu and Wonwoo, too busy to say hi; then over to Seungcheol, who lifts a hand up in acknowledgment from his lonely spot on the farthest couch from the door. 

Dongho’s friend looks bored, looking like he’d rather be elsewhere - judging from his dazzling getup, he seems prepared to go clubbing instead.

"Guys, this is Minki." Dongho introduces his friend to everyone in the room. 

" _ Ren. _ " The man corrects sassily, setting a six pack of beers on the table, cracking a can open for himself. “Help yourself, if you wanna.”

Dongho takes the initiative to hand the beer cans around, which Jihoon naturally declines, though he notices that Choi Seungcheol has one in hand. 

Now he needs a beer too, just to score a notch above Choi Seungcheol. 

Seokmin ends up with the last beer, and he holds it awkwardly, unsure what to do with it. He’s watching Soonyoung nervously, noting that both Mingyu and Wonwoo have each acquired a beer - 

“Mind if I take that?” Jihoon whispers, already taking the beer can away from Seokmin, who gives him a tiny nod. 

Jihoon takes a cheeky sip from it, though he winces when the alcohol burns his throat. The small shot of liquid courage gives him a bit of confidence. He begins throwing dagger glances towards Choi Seungcheol, who's ignoring him. 

Huh. What an asshole. 

Junhui steps up to the golden microphone on the small platform at the front of the room, tapping on it to grab everyone's attention. "Good evening, and welcome to the monthly 247 Karaoke competition!" 

"Is this it?" Ren interrupts, glancing around the room. Rather than a competition, it looks more like a bunch of friends spending Friday night together at the local karaoke joint. 

Junhui nods. "There's always been a small turnout. We're probably going to do this as a bimonthly competition soon. Budget and stuff." 

Ren raises his beer. "Cheers to that." He takes a long swig, then slides closer to Dongho. 

Junhui recites the rules and scoring mechanics for the competition, which Jihoon doesn't listen to, because he's already familiar with it. As the only active employee of the karaoke bar, Junhui himself would be the sole judge for the competition. Scoring points is easy, as the score generated from the karaoke machine would make up most of the final score, though contestants could win additional points from other aspects, including performance quality, audience engagement and judges’ score. Jihoon knows that he could try flirting with Junhui, using the advantage of Junhui’s shameless little crush on him to get more points - 

But nah, Jihoon won’t waste his attention on him. Besides, he wants to win this fair and square. 

“Let the competition begin!” Junhui announces with a flourish. He skips off the platform to sit at the back of the room with his little clipboard, pulling on a pair of fake glasses to look professional.

Seokmin is the first to go, and he selects a classic song that showcases his wide vocal range. He looks nervous as he takes his spot at the golden microphone on the platform. 

Only when he locks his gaze onto Soonyoung, he calms down. 

The introductory strains of the ballad he’d chosen plays over the speakers, and there’s an air of anticipation in the party room as the karaoke competition officially begins with the first contestant on stage. 

Seokmin slips his eyes close, enunciating each syllable of the lyrics as sincerely as he can, letting the music take him to a different universe. Everyone in the room can’t help but become entranced by his initial saccharine sweet tone that transforms powerhouse vocals into as he hits notes higher than Soonyoung’s grades. 

He finishes all too soon, and everyone applauds at the end of his spectacular performance as he bows politely. Soonyoung even shouts excitedly for him, doing a silly little celebratory dance that makes him smile. Then he turns to look at the screen, waiting for the machine-generated score to appear...

94 points.

A high score to kick off the night, setting a standard for others to beat. 

Jihoon knows that he can do better than that - even if Seokmin is an amazing vocalist. Higher scores mean higher chances to wrestle the crown away from Choi Seungcheol, who looks stunned by Seokmin’s performance.  _ Beat that, Choi! _

“Thank you, Seokmin.” Junhui calls out from his seat at the back of the room. He jots something down onto his notepad, adding up scores. No doubt that Seokmin would be in the lead… at least for now. 

“Are you a recording artist?” Ren pipes up out of the blue, when Seokmin scuttles back to his seat after his turn.

Flustered to be addressed by the eccentric stranger, Seokmin could only shake his head. “I’m just a student.”

“Woo, Seok!” Soonyoung cheers from his spot between Wonwoo and Mingyu. “He’s incredible, right?” 

Both men agree with him unconditionally. 

Wonwoo goes up next, selecting another ballad that brings tears to Soonyoung’s eyes - singing every word from heart with his pleasant baritone. He manages a decent score, shooting a smile towards Soonyoung - who’s clearly impressed, forgetting about Mingyu beside him - as he replaces the microphone back onto its stand. 

“You didn’t tell me this is going to be a sappy ballad-fest.” Ren says, breaking the silence during the short intermission as Junhui scribbles on his clipboard under the glow of his phone screen. He pokes Dongho’s side for good measure, and Dongho jumps. Unlike Ren, he had thoroughly enjoyed the performances of the first two contestants, amazed by the quality of the performances despite it being only amateur karaoke. 

“Well, that sucks for you.” Dongho stands up. “It’s my turn, and I’m going to sing another ballad.” He grins to his friend, before loping up onstage. 

Ren rolls his eyes, taking a swig of the last of his beer. He’s bored out of his mind, but his piercing stare towards the stage makes Jihoon think that he’s a secret judge for the evening, evaluating everyone silently with that cold expression on his perfectly sculpted face. Ren catches Jihoon staring, and winks at him, leaving him flustered. Jihoon quickly averts his eyes, searching for something else to look at, and his eyes fall upon the man sitting alone across him - Choi Seungcheol, eyeing him like he’s got a million words to say. Jihoon looks down to the floor instantly, cursing his wandering eyes. 

God, what an awkward cycle - to be caught watching someone, then catching someone else staring at him -

His brain goes blank except for one thought - what if Choi Seungcheol is  _ jealous _ , because he’d been staring at the mysterious, androgynous Ren? 

The idea is laughable, and probably the joke of the year - there’s zero benefits of dwelling on it, so Jihoon pulls himself back to the present and focuses his attention to Dongho, who’s preparing to sing, waiting for the last few piano notes of the intro of the song to fade away -

Dongho delivers a staunch performance, surprising everyone present (except for Ren) with his soft, melodic voice. It completely contradicts his image as a buff, tattooed guy; touching everyone’s hearts as he smoothly sings in his buttery vocals that reminds Jihoon of warm bread fresh out of the oven. Paired with his sentimental song selection, he’s in the running to become champion of the night, threatening Seungcheol and even Jihoon, with a stable score that ranks him right behind Seokmin. Dongho simply looks happy as he returns to his spot beside Ren, as if he’s there just for fun.

“Next, Kim Mingyu.” Junhui announces. 

Mingyu turns to Soonyoung, smiling. “Wanna join me?”

“Okay.” Soonyoung stands up, hopping onto the little platform that can barely fit both him and the giant Mingyu. Wonwoo’s left alone on the couch, though he doesn’t look quite happy -

“What song are you singing?” Junhui asks. 

Mingyu looks lost for a second, before he yells; “Give us song number 987!”

“If you say so.” Junhui punches the number into the karaoke machine remote, lining up the song for play. Its title card projects onto the screen almost instantly - and no one quite recognises it as the introductory bars of the song begin playing. The music sounds like it’s from a different decade - a minor tune with simple beats reminiscent from the olden days. It gains a few laughs from the audience, as Mingyu stands at the golden microphone, dumbfounded - there’s no way to change things now. Next to him, Soonyoung looks equally as blank, though he’s already bobbing to the beat, trying to immerse himself into the music -

“This song is older than you!” Jihoon cackles, clapping his hands like a seal. Soonyoung’s antics and misery are amusing to him - no need to watch any of those overrated dramas online... how is he going to fare in his latest mishap (which had been Mingyu’s doing?)

Soonyoung’s unfazed, gearing up to sing the first verse - but it’s clear that he doesn’t even know the song. Yet he still pulls through, faithfully following the lyrics onscreen to his own melody. Seokmin somehow finds a tambourine and claps to the beat, trying to show support for his friend even if he’s singing a duet with a stranger. They’re having fun, bumbling through the song monotonously, injecting their own charm into it. Even Ren taps his foot to the beat, enjoying the silliness of the duo onstage. 

Jihoon’s got a  _ wtf  _ expression on his face, which wipes away into a smile when he notices Seungcheol laughing when Mingyu takes the mic. 

Soonyoung pipes in with little ad-libs during Mingyu’s verse, as Mingyu loops an arm around Soonyoung’s shoulders. It’s a friendly gesture, but it makes Wonwoo turn green with envy, crossing his arms over his chest. 

The song ends quickly - courtesy of Junhui and his veto power over the remote control - and in typical Soonyoung fashion, he belts out a high, sustained note for the grand finale, which turns into an overjoyed shout when the score pops out on screen...

100 points.

A perfect score. 

Mingyu clasps Soonyoung’s hands, both of them overcome with excitement. Everyone is shocked by the final results, especially Jihoon. How is he going to beat Choi Seungcheol if Soonyoung and Mingyu win the competition? Seokmin’s eyes are as round as saucers when he turns to Jihoon, gaping like a fish out of water at the unexpected result. 

“Thank you for that… unique performance.” Junhui takes over the spot at the microphone as Soonyoung and Mingyu return to their seats with glee. “However, you’re disqualified.”

“What?” 

“It’s in the rules.” Junhui offers no further explanation, his expression perfectly neutral. “We’ll move on now.”

“Walk me through it, buddy, ‘cause I must’ve missed that part.” Mingyu looks like he’s not going to back down defending his perfect score. 

Junhui tries his best not to roll his eyes - he’d had a speech and all, about the competition rules before they’d started. But of course no one pays attention to him, even with his unrivalled beauty! Unless they’d all been distracted by his sharp, angled jaw (his best feature) and his sleepy eyelids (his other best feature), which is a good explanation why - 

“Hey, I gotta get more booze. Anyone else wants more beer?” Ren pipes up, crumpling his beer can. Dongho nods, and Wonwoo raises his hand. 

“A toilet break would be nice.” Choi Seungcheol interjects from his lonely spot. 

Dammit, Jihoon wanted to go pee, too. The boy’s face breaks into a scowl, his eyes never leaving Seungcheol. Everyone’s talking over one another at this point, and Junhui realises that he’ll have to give in to the customers’ needs if he wants their cooperation. 

“Fine, we’ll have a five minute break.” Junhui steps off the platform to appease Mingyu about his disqualification. Soonyoung’s unaffected by it, already being smothered by Wonwoo, who’s complimenting him for his perfect performance - taking the chance to win Soonyoung over while Mingyu bickers with Junhui. 

Jihoon grabs Seokmin and bolts from the room before Choi Seungcheol could even get up from his seat. They crash into Ren on the way out, mumbling apologies as they escape.

“In a hurry, boys?” Ren teases, but he strides away without waiting for a response. Jihoon tries to delete that exchange from his mind as he hurries down the hallways towards the toilet, with Seokmin tagging closely behind him. 

“I need to talk to you, Jihoon.” Seokmin looks like he’s constipated - with emotion, that is. 

“I really gotta pee first.” Jihoon locks himself in the only restroom in the karaoke bar, quickly relieving himself. And as usual, his thoughts drift over to Choi Seungcheol - at first, thinking how cuddly he looks in his oversized hoodie, then wondering how he’d look like without it -

A quick wank to accompany his dirty thoughts would be nice, but he knows that the place has thin walls despite being a karaoke bar. So he finishes his business and leaves the small toilet, almost forgetting to flush. 

Jihoon finds Seokmin leaning by the wall, waiting, his eyebrows furrowed. Jihoon owes it to Seokmin, so he decides to hear him out the way Seokmin did earlier in the week; because that’s what friends are for - 

“What’s up, Seok?” 

Seokmin lets out a deep sigh. "I can't stand seeing Soonyoung with them." 

Jihoon catches on easily, and he shares the same thoughts, nodding. "I know. The audacity of him singing a duet with Mingyu… I'm gonna murder him." 

Seokmin sighs heavily. "You don't understand, Jihoon. That’s not it." 

"Spell it out for me, then." Jihoon frowns. The frustration on Seokmin's face is as clear as day, though there's something else brewing in his eyes that Jihoon can't quite read. 

"I like Soonyoung, okay?" Seokmin confesses in a whisper. “Like, like  _ like  _ Soonyoung.”

It takes a second for the fact to sink into Jihoon's little brain. "Oh."    


The lack of response from his friend heightens Seokmin's frustration. Seeing Soonyoung, whom he'd harboured a crush on since who knows how long, with those two men shamelessly vying for his attention hurts him to the core. And to hide it for all this time, pretending like nothing's going on... it's a burden. 

“I don’t know what to do.” Seokmin admits. 

Jihoon doesn’t know what to do either, because Seokmin is the most grounded person he knows, with his sage life advice that he doles out generously for everyone. The vulnerability he sees on Seokmin’s face - all because of his secret feelings towards Soonyoung - worries Jihoon, because Seokmin deserves all the best things in the world, bless his kind soul. 

“Would telling him be a good idea?” Jihoon suggests lamely, unconvinced by his own suggestion.

Seokmin shrugs, feeling helpless. “He seems so enamoured by Mingyu and Wonwoo. And they both like him a lot, too.”

“For reasons unknown.” Jihoon mutters under his breath. Now three (3) people like Soonyoung, and if Choi Seungcheol does too, Jihoon’s going to move as far away as possible and become an alpaca breeder while selling pineapple jam for extra income. 

“I guess as long as he’s happy, then I’ll be happy as well.” Seokmin smiles weakly, resigned to his fate as Soonyoung’s friend, and nothing more. 

“Don’t you think you deserve a chance?” Jihoon blurts out, trying to help. But he instantly gets distracted, as Choi Seungcheol passes by them, entering the bathroom Jihoon had just vacated.

“I’ll be fine, Jihoon.” Seokmin notices the change in Jihoon’s eyes - from concern to starry-eyed, seeing the object of his dreams walking by. “I’ll go back to the room first.” He says, hoping to give some space to Jihoon to try to talk to Choi Seungcheol once he gets out of the bathroom.

But Jihoon doesn’t pick up the subtle hint, unprepared to face Choi Seungcheol face-to-face. “I’m coming with you.” The two friends head back to the party room, ending their discussion.

Seungcheol can hear every bit of Jihoon’s conversation with his friend through the bathroom door. He doesn’t have the right to eavesdrop, and fat lot of good it did for him - he’d only caught the last bit of a conversation he doesn’t quite understand. 

Personally he finds the elusive boy intriguing, digging a hole for himself with his useless attempts to know Jihoon better - if they'd met under friendlier circumstances, Seungcheol would've asked him out in a heartbeat. But he's well aware of how much Jihoon loathes him, on the sole basis of taking away his karaoke king title. Yet he can't stop thinking about the rosy blush on the boy's cheeks when he walked past just now. 

When he returns to the party room, it seems like he’d never left. Soonyoung’s entertaining both Mingyu and Wonwoo at once - Mingyu seems to have forgotten about his dissatisfaction of being disqualified from the competition, looking at Soonyoung with honey dripping from his eyes. Dongho joins Seungcheol at his spot, since Ren’s gone on a booze run; asking about his day. They’re instantly absorbed into small talk, but Seungcheol lets Dongho speak, simply listening to his amusements about the evening’s programme. He’s aware that Jihoon’s watching him like a hawk, for reasons unbeknownst - but at this point, he lets it be, even though a small part of him tells him that Jihoon seems to want  _ something  _ from him, and this is his way of asking for it - 

“Seungcheol? You’re up next.” Junhui calls out, restarting the karaoke competition without any warning. 

“Good luck.” Dongho grins, slapping Seungcheol’s back as he stands up.

Seungcheol takes centre stage, and a strong hip-hop beat fills the party room. It’s a different vibe from all the slow songs that had been performed all evening, and everyone jams to the music, as Seungcheol spits fire, unleashing his inner rapper persona. Focusing on the lyrics as best as he could, he tries to block out Jihoon from his mind as he embellishes every syllable with a fierce growl, losing himself in the rhythm. Everyone’s hyped up, nodding along to the music, even singing over the gang vocals in the chorus of the song - 

It ends all too soon, and Seungcheol’s got a half a mind to drop the mic with swagger, for an impactful finale, but he gently replaces it on the stand instead. 

Dongho awaits offstage with a fist bump, which he reciprocates, flopping onto the sofa. He’s feeling warm all over - the rapping had been a kind of mini-workout, which should never be done while wearing a hoodie. There’s a thin sheen of sweat over his skin, and he rolls up the sleeves of his thick hoodie, fanning himself to cool down. 

“Get some water, bro.” Dongho points to the bottles of water prepared on the coffee table, and Seungcheol grabs one, downing it all at once. 

He thought he'd performed mediocrely, but the karaoke machine thinks otherwise, giving him a generous score, though it’s not enough to beat Seokmin’s. This evening, he doesn’t quite care about winning, though - he’d had fun, and that’s enough. 

“And our last participant. Jihoon.” Junhui’s voice rings from the back of the room. 

“I’m back, with booze!” Ren sashays into the room cradling another six-pack of beers and some snacks. He throws a pack of chips to Junhui before he goes to settle next to Dongho, offering alcohol to everyone who would accept.

Seungcheol cracks one open, taking a swig from it at the very same time Jihoon opens his mouth to sing. He nearly chokes when he hears Jihoon sing for the very first time - 

His voice is soft like a cotton blanket, offering warmth in their hearts, yet still as light as air, akin to a gentle spring breeze tickling in Seungcheol’s ear. Goosebumps run down his arms as the music swells, and Jihoon’s voice along with it - 

"He's amazing." Seungcheol breathes, as Jihoon's voice reaches into a falsetto, ascending to heaven with his godsent vocal range. He can’t keep his eyes off the boy, who looks quite at home performing onstage. Eyes shut, completely immersing himself in the song, filling the room with raw emotion that pierces straight into Seungcheol’s heart. He sings perfectly, until the very last note; and the instrumental dwindles down into silence as the audience breaks into a smattering of applause. 

Jihoon’s aware that Choi Seungcheol is watching him as he high-fives Seokmin before flopping onto his seat. He chances a glance at the awestruck man, shooting him a confident smirk -

_ See that, Choi? That’s how a sixteen-time karaoke king does it.  _

Junhui steps onto the tiny stage, taking the microphone. “Thank you, everyone, for an amazing time. Everyone sang ballads that made me cry, but one contestant turned up the heat with a hip-hop party!” 

Jihoon freezes - wondering if that could be his downfall. Seungcheol had been the only one who’d picked a different genre...

Junhui rambles on for a minute, keeping the suspense levels high. 

“Get on with it!” Ren interrupts impatiently, echoing Jihoon’s exact thoughts. 

Hassled, Junhui looks at his clipboard, preparing for the long-waited announcement. "And the winner for this month's karaoke competition…" 

Soonyoung drums on his thighs, imitating a drum roll. Ren and Mingyu follow suit, as Jihoon holds his breath in anticipation, tightly gripping Seokmin's arm… 

"Lee Seokmin." 

No one in the room reacts for a second, before Seokmin leaps to his feet with a happy shout. Dumbfounded, Jihoon's at a loss of words as he watches his friend celebrate, trying to let the fact sink in that his own friend had won, and his first instinct was to storm out of the room. Yet he’s stuck to his seat, and his gaze shifts from an elated Seokmin towards Choi Seungcheol, who seems to concede by clapping politely, sharing Seokmin’s joy. 

Pumped with elation and confidence from his victory, Seokmin purposefully strides towards Soonyoung, gathering him in his arms, before planting a big fat kiss on Soonyoung's lips right in front of everyone in the room. 

It begins off as an innocent heat-of-the-moment kiss, quickly turning into something a bit more passionate as they begin making weird sucky noises with their mouths. The awkwardness in the room heightens, because no one dares to interrupt their impromptu make-out session; when Seokmin finally pulls away, breathless. 

"Choose me." Seokmin's voice is low and raspy, staring straight into Soonyoung’s eyes.

Soonyoung meets his gaze with a fond look, before responding with another kiss that puts all other kisses to shame, as he finally realises how much Seokmin cares for him. 

Aghast, Wonwoo takes his glasses off so he doesn't have to witness Soonyoung making out with Seokmin underneath the colourful disco lights. And next to him, Mingyu looks like a wounded puppy, disappointed by the silent rejection of the boy he’d tried so hard to impress all week. 

Satisfied with the soap drama unfolding before his own eyes, Ren sips his drink. “Maybe coming here isn’t such a bust, after all.” Dongho raises his own beer to that, grinning.

When Seokmin and Soonyoung begin moaning amidst their heated kisses, Jihoon takes the chance to leave, because he doesn't want to witness his only friends getting it on in front of everyone - and he knows it’s going to get awkward from here onwards being the third wheel. Getting together seemed simple enough for Soonyoung and Seokmin, Jihoon huffs, lamenting his own sucky love life orbiting around a guy he could never have. 

“Didn’t know they were dating.” Junhui comments, pulling off his fake glasses.

“Me either.” Jihoon mutters, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. He doesn’t really want to talk to Junhui, so it’s time to leave and turn in for the night - 

If only Choi Seungcheol isn’t blocking the exit, staring down at him like he’s ready to… do something that Jihoon is not prepared for. 

“What have I ever done to you?” Seungcheol demands. He wants to begin over with Jihoon, and clear the slate; hoping for a do-over or at least some peaceful closure. He can’t deal with the boy hating him for no absolute reason - apart from the karaoke king thing, but they’d both lost this month, so in any case, Jihoon should start hating his friend Seokmin, the new king. “You’re been staring at me the whole evening. Do you have anything to say to me?”

“You ruined my life.” Jihoon replies stoically. 

"I'm sorry - "

Jihoon cuts in, staring straight into Seungcheol's eyes with what looks like hope. “In the best way you possibly could.” 

Seungcheol arches an eyebrow, confused and waiting for an explanation. But the next words that leave Jihoon’s mouth in a rush are ones he would never expect to hear in real life: "Can I have sex with you?"

It had meant to be a low whisper. Yet to Seungcheol's ears, the sudden proposition sounds louder than ever, echoing within his skull. 

_ Sex.  _

_ With Jihoon.  _

Seungcheol's surprised to discover a feral, lustful want, deep in his gut; already imagining the things he could do to Jihoon. There's a little part of his brain nagging at him;  _ he's just a college kid, you barely know him, this is probably not going to end well because you know damn well that he hates you - _

Jihoon inches closer, twirling his finger on the one of the strings on Seungcheol's hoodie, subtly bridging the gap between them. His innocent baby face is clearly just a front; because underneath it is a horny monster who doesn’t stop to get what he wants. And  _ that  _ turns Seungcheol on, knowing that Jihoon craves him so desperately - 

God, this kid is beautiful and crazy and it wouldn't  _ hurt  _ to take him home.

His morals fly out the window, as he gives into his dirty desire to make Jihoon hate him less, by showing off his erotic prowess. Pulling Jihoon as close as he could - so close, that their noses bump against each others' - he gingerly tilts Jihoon's chin up, focusing on those pretty little lips of his - 

His heart thumps loudly as he draws closer, with the sole intention of kissing those lips, only to stop short, suddenly scared to dive in head first into the unknown - 

"Do it." Jihoon challenges. "Kiss me." 

Seungcheol does. 

* * *

Jihoon stirs from his sleep, secure in Seungcheol’s strong embrace. It only takes a second for him to remember that he’s in Seungcheol’s studio apartment, which is a welcome change from his suffocatingly tiny dorm room -

He grins to himself, letting out a satisfied sigh, reminiscing all the things they’d done for the past… well, Jihoon’s lost track of time, but they’d certainly spent a lot of time exploring each other so intimately, experimenting on what turned each other on (Jihoon found out almost immediately that Seungcheol has sensitive nipples), which led to lots of grinding and bumping, all day and all night. Jihoon discovered that he  _ does  _ like cuddling, especially of the post-coital variety, lying in Seungcheol’s arms as they chatted about the finer things in life before they fell asleep, only to wake up just to do it all over again - 

He doesn't know what's next in store for them, though he's got an inkling that he's going to have to return to his life as a boring uni student. His life is never going to be the same again, after a whole weekend of an incredible sexual journey with a man he thought he hated. 

The same man who is sleeping soundly like a little baby angel next to Jihoon with his gloriously long eyelashes fanning over the apex of his cheeks, and his plump, pink lips slightly parted - though he's a literal devil in bed, conjuring so many little tricks that gave Jihoon such immense pleasure, constantly begging Seungcheol for more. Which is why they'd never left Seungcheol's creaky double bed, save for one meal and a couple of bathroom breaks. 

Would it be a one night stand if he stays for more than one night…? 

But if he's to be honest, Jihoon doesn't even want to leave, ever. He's even considering quitting uni and life as he knows it to become Seungcheol's little whore. 

The sex had been incredibly enjoyable. 

Mind-blowing. 

10/10 would do it again.

If someone were to shine a UV light over the bedroom, it would glow brighter than a star. 

Jihoon vaguely remembers why he’d made it his personal mission to sleep with Seungcheol, and even though he doesn’t quite want to admit it, he’d been wrong. 

He’d been trying to disprove the common conception that two people had sex because they’re in love, but if Jihoon doesn’t L-word Choi Seungcheol, then why is he still here?

Were they making love, or simply a couple of horny bastards who can’t get enough of each other? 

He wouldn’t jump to the L-word just yet, though he knows that there’s something  _ special  _ between them. 

Jihoon gazes at the sleeping man holding him tightly, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. Those luscious lips that had done wonders on his skin; little blue-black bruises around his collarbone are proof. 

Seungcheol’s undeniably beautiful, inside and out. His buff, muscular build hides the unexpected giant teddy bear inside - all soft and cuddly and warm; he’s really just a total softie, who loves dogs and cute, small things. (He’d named Jihoon as an example for the latter, which Jihoon had snorted at - he’s only  _ relatively  _ smaller than Seungcheol, and he certainly isn’t cute, though he’d been a  _ bit _ flattered at the remark).

But that had been only one of the many heart-fluttering things Seungcheol had said to him, all of which had slowly warmed up the shrivelled-up shell of his cold heart as he began to know Seungcheol better amidst their sex marathons -

Seungcheol’s warm disposition makes him feel like he’s coming home to a cozy fire and a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows after being trapped in a harsh, frosty blizzard. 

He knows that he’s going all mushy for Choi Seungcheol, which seems ridiculous given his vocal hatred over the man.

Sneakily, he flicks Seungcheol’s nipple, just for the hell of it. A little sleepy moan comes from Seungcheol, which gratifies him, as Seungcheol rolls over in his sleep, holding Jihoon tighter. 

Guess Jihoon has to stay longer, at least for now - not that he’s complaining. 

He gives in, snuggling against Seungcheol’s chest, wrapped by bliss and hope for a new beginning.

Maybe he doesn’t hate Choi Seungcheol as much as he used to.

Maybe, just maybe -

He’s in love. 

**Author's Note:**

> uhh thank u for reading if u survived all that, hahahah i hope u enjoyed it bc it was fun for me to write without having expectations AT ALL i had the initial idea in 2018 smh took me long enough to make it into this... thing 
> 
> send luv ok i would like to hear your thoughts about this :D
> 
> also pls wear a mask and stay safe ok miss corona is evil!! >:(


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